It’s been a long time since the Detroit Tigers played a significant role.
Their last playoff appearance was in 2014, when they were eliminated from the American League Division Series, and their last winning season came two years later.
Since then, the franchise has been looking for a way to get back into contention and is going through a long rebuilding process that now finally seems to have a light at the end of the tunnel, as so many promising stars seem ready to become influential players in the Major League.
While the young players are currently getting most of the attention, the man in charge of the clubhouse could be the most important factor in getting the Tigers competitive again.
In fact, Brandon Day of SB Nations “Bless You Boys” called the hiring of manager AJ Hinch the organization’s best move in nearly a decade.
“Seriously folks, hiring AJ Hinch was probably the best move Al Avila made in leading the Tigers. Everything you see in coaching and general player development throughout the system is more because of him than anyone else in the organization. It’s not like he was given a couple of aces and a bunch of good veteran hitters,” he wrote.
Considering that Al Avila was promoted to general manager and executive vice president of baseball operations in 2015 when Dave Dombrowski was released from his contract, and Hinch wasn’t hired until October 2020, it just shows how mediocre things have been in Detroit.
Naturally, Hinch’s hiring sparked controversy.
After winning the World Series three years earlier, he was fired by the Houston Astros in 2020 for being their manager during the cheating scandal, so Avila had to muster some courage to hire the captain.
While the 284-331 record may not be particularly impressive, it would be an understatement for the work he has done since taking office.
As Day pointed out, much of the optimism surrounding this franchise is because the young players look like future stars, and Hinch and his coaching staff have their fingers in the pie.
Avila cannot currently reap the rewards of his decision to hire Hinch, as he was fired on August 10, 2022, but his decision could be a turning point for the Tigers if they can become contenders in the near future.
