OT: Tigers to hire Ron Gardenhire?
A source (The Detroit Sports Rags Justin Spiro) is reporting it's a done deal, and the Brad Ausmus era will be coming to an end within the week. CBS has also indicated "a change" is coming shortly.
If so, this is a great move by Ilitch and the Tigers IMO. The article suggests it also factored into the dismissal of Dombrowski, who wasn't in favor of the move.
September 9th, 2015 at 8:12 AM ^
September 9th, 2015 at 8:19 AM ^
I equate Ausmus to Hoke. Nice guy with a great story who we all WANTED to win. But in the end, he lacked the gamesmanship to make it happen -- at least with this lineup. If this report is true, I hope Ausmus lands in a good place and can restart his managerial career.
September 9th, 2015 at 8:36 AM ^
September 9th, 2015 at 8:51 AM ^
September 9th, 2015 at 11:48 AM ^
Weeeeeeelll.
upvote for you anyway! ;)
September 9th, 2015 at 9:25 AM ^
Actually, he kind of did field a team with only eight players. There was that game a couple months back were Price thought he was done after the 6th or 7th but Ausmus thought he was still in the game and didn't send a relief pitcher in. JV was running in and out of the dugout trying to figure out what was going on. May not have been 100% on Ausmus but as the manager of the team that is still not a good look.
September 9th, 2015 at 3:59 PM ^
At least an actual pitch or play did not happen.
September 9th, 2015 at 10:47 AM ^
Unfortunately the Gardenhire hire != Harbaugh hire. But I do think its an upgrade.
September 9th, 2015 at 8:21 AM ^
September 9th, 2015 at 10:56 AM ^
Tigers are in the running for a new TV contract and Ilitch has an enormous incentive to keep this team watchable through 2017. Not to mention the huge amount of money he's investing in the District Detroit project. It's all tied together.
The new TV deal will go a long way toward determining the teams ability to compete financially for the next 10 years. Every move they make for in the 2015 and 2016 offseasons will be geared toward maximizing the value of that contract.
September 9th, 2015 at 11:05 AM ^
Not sure I'm worried about the Ilitches finances...pretty sure Marian hauls in enough out of the casino each year to cover the $120 million + salaries for the Tigers players.
Then again, there is the whole "how does a man like me get to be a man like me" thing.
I think Ausmus is a smart guy and a nice guy...but baseball is such a long season and you need a manager who can keep the fire stoked and I'm not sure Ausmus has that in him. I like a manager who has a little "red ass" in him, like Jim Leyland or Bruce Bochy. The players should be a little bit intimidated by their manager.
September 9th, 2015 at 12:23 PM ^
This team definitely needs a "red ass" for a manager. I would have rather gone with Manuel last time around instead of Ausmus.
September 9th, 2015 at 12:48 PM ^
worrying about their finances is a distinct issue then will they spend it. As most know, Mr. Illich is passing down the business aspect of the team to his son...Will he have the same stomach as his dad did to not generate a profit?
September 9th, 2015 at 8:23 AM ^
That's all well and good, if true... but Gardenhire's playoff record is yikes
September 9th, 2015 at 10:03 AM ^
He's an old-timey small-ball guy like Ausmus and Leyland. Should fit right in.
September 9th, 2015 at 11:00 AM ^
Leyland was a small ball guy? with a team full of homer-hitting statues?
September 9th, 2015 at 11:50 AM ^
c'mon - this is mgoblog.
September 9th, 2015 at 11:06 AM ^
A guy that almost exclusively managed for the 3-run homer is anything but a small ball manager.
September 9th, 2015 at 1:28 PM ^
Actually, he kind of was despite his talented lineup. For example, in 2011 the Tigers led the lead in sac's and caught stealing while winning 95 games. Other years saw him ease off the SAC's, but he still couldn't resist sending dudes to their death on the basepaths - usually leading the league in caught stealing while hanging out in the bottom of the AL in actual SB's. He gave away outs, guys. That's "small ball."
September 9th, 2015 at 8:26 AM ^
It's all you need to know.
September 9th, 2015 at 9:14 AM ^
The first line isn't bad, but the second? Hope they had ScotchGuard!
Ron Gardenhire was born on a couch to a military family at the U.S. Army base in Butzbach, West Germany.
September 9th, 2015 at 8:29 AM ^
September 9th, 2015 at 8:31 AM ^
I thought the same thing. But they do have a track record of breaking correct news. We shall see....
September 10th, 2015 at 12:33 AM ^
I'll make sure to call you out when Gardenhire is named the manager in four weeks time.
September 9th, 2015 at 8:36 AM ^
September 9th, 2015 at 8:43 AM ^
to help out the team & all
September 9th, 2015 at 8:37 AM ^
September 9th, 2015 at 8:31 AM ^
It is just a rumor, of course, one that originated on Detroit Sports Rag as the OP mentions, which....yeah....
Actually, the first rumor that I heard a few days ago was Rick Renteria, but if somehow it turned out to be the case, I would be down with Gardenhire as the next skipper in Detroit. He did well enough in Minnesota that I would be curious to see what someone who is a bit more aggressive in their style could do with the talent that the Tigers have plus whatever they may acquire in the coming months.
September 9th, 2015 at 8:39 AM ^
Ausmus is simply a scapegoat IMO. It's not his fault Verlander was a shell of himself last year. It's not his fault Greene and Simon were picked up to replace Scherzer and Porcello and have been unmitigated disasters. It's not his fault Victor has been injured and generally ineffective this year. It's not his fault the bullpen has been terrible for the past 10 years and continues to be. He's not a great manager by any means, but he's still learning on the job. You're gonna have a hard time convincing me that Gardenhire is the difference between where we're at and the playoffs.
September 9th, 2015 at 8:47 AM ^
September 9th, 2015 at 9:26 AM ^
He does not make a "boneheaded" decision at least once every couple days.
I like numbers, since they're more objective. Let's say you have a decision to leave a starter in or go to the 'pen. Starter normally gives up an opponent OBP of .245, lets say. Bullpen guy gives up an opponent OBP of .265. 2% difference. Now, I'm throwing a bunch of other factors aside for simplification. But a lot of decisions that get make are decisions that, statistically, are very close calls. Maybe between 0 and 10% difference in how often they work out. Stealing vs. not stealing is maybe a better answer.
So, you might say Brad makes a boneheaded decision because he goes with the 45% play instead of the 55% play. However, he also knows things we don't (clubhouse/injury type info). He also has to look at the long picture and health of the team.
I think it's impossibly rare to find an actual, objectively terrible decision by a manager. If all of us armchair managers know it is wrong, why wouldn't a person who's played/coached/managed at the professional level longer than some of us have been alive not know it is an objectively terrible decision?
September 9th, 2015 at 9:37 AM ^
As in every leadership situation (Brandon anyone?) softer factors are also important. Ausmuss is a guy that does not demand anything from his players, who pf course like him for that. But they lack leadership from within, and need a manager that pushes them Brad does not do this.
September 9th, 2015 at 10:25 AM ^
This is a team of veteran professionals making millions of dollars a year. They've won before and know what it takes to win. If they need their manager to provide motivation and leadership then that says more about the players than the manager.
September 9th, 2015 at 11:13 AM ^
This is a younger team than you may realize. With Iglesias, McCann, Castellanos, Gose, JD Martinez, Alex Wilson, Blaine Hardy (and now Boyd & Norris), this is one of the younger teams in MLB.
According to this website, they're the 7th youngest this year:
http://www.statista.com/statistics/236223/major-league-baseball-clubs-by-average-age-of-players/
September 9th, 2015 at 1:48 PM ^
sports. Come on. The landscape is littered with thousamds of examples of "veteran professionals" that in fat do need to be pushed, It's called human nature. People relax. The Jordan's and Watt's of the world that are totally self motivated are the exception, not the rule.
September 9th, 2015 at 12:38 PM ^
Ausmuss is a guy that does not demand anything from his players, who pf course like him for that.
See, this is complete garbage that you have no evidence of. Are you in the clubhouse every day?
September 9th, 2015 at 1:56 PM ^
The same evidence exists for that. Does Harbaugh push? Is Mike Riley a nice guy coach who is laid back? We know from player quotes and people around the team, and his quotes, and our eyes.
September 9th, 2015 at 11:08 AM ^
that if you have enough talent you can make as many boneheaded moves as you want and still make the playoffs. The boneheaded moves did catch up to him in the playoffs or course.
September 9th, 2015 at 11:58 AM ^
Oh man did Leyland make a TON of bonehead moves. He was a great clubhouse guy, but as a gameday manager, he was unbelievably terrible. He got away with it during the regular season, but it always bit him at some point in the playoffs in a key spot.
September 9th, 2015 at 9:01 AM ^
As a team Detroit is second in AVG, third in OBP and OPS, and tenth in runs scored. That's someone's fault; I'd say Ausmus is as culpable as anyone.
September 9th, 2015 at 9:51 AM ^
Miggy' s numbers skew things.
September 9th, 2015 at 10:21 AM ^
That's actually indicative of a lineup with massive holes in it. Doesn't matter how you construct it, those holes will still be there.
September 9th, 2015 at 11:37 AM ^
Really? A team that ranks in the top 10 in team offensive stats is indicative of a lineup with holes in it?
Wouldn't it make sense that a team in the top 10 would have fewer holes in it and a team in the bottom 10 would have more holes in it?
Obviously, as noted above, Miggy's numbers do skew things, but With Victor healthy our 1-6 are as good as anyone's lineup. That's been one of the bigger issues (along with Verlander missing half the season). If Victor hadn't been injured out of the gate, screwing up his whole season so far, this could have been a much different lineup.
September 9th, 2015 at 9:33 AM ^
He made some bad decisions in May and June when we were in first place or right there with the Royals. Pinch running for Victor with one out in a tie game in the eigth inning and never sending the guy to steal second base. That happened more than once. He would bring in guys called up from the minors that afternoon to pitch in late innings or extra innings when we were tied or up a couple runs and they would blow it.
The Tigers were 41-39 when Cabrera went down with injury. They would have been at least five games better if Ausmus didn't make some of those head scratching decisions. That was enough of a difference to be sellers at the deadline.
Plus, he lost the clubhouse and those guys don't respect him. This team was not built for a manager like him, learning on the job. They needed a guy who knows what they're doing in clutch situation.
Oh man, how did I forget the Wild Card round against Baltimore? SMH. He's got to go.
September 9th, 2015 at 8:44 AM ^
September 9th, 2015 at 8:57 AM ^
May be 4 or 5 wins better than the worst.
September 9th, 2015 at 10:09 AM ^
September 9th, 2015 at 8:49 AM ^
Great. Another baseball manager who doesn't utilized sabermetrics.