Well, the All-Star break is upon us and when we look at the Major League Baseball standings, our Detroit Tigers, who are managed by A.J. Hinch, are buried near the bottom of the American League with an abysmal 37-55 record. In fact, that record is the sixth-worst in the entire league.
Heading into the season, many believed the Tigers would finish the season at or above .500 and some were even convinced, that if things went right, they could challenge for a playoff spot in 2022.
Unfortunately, the team has underperformed and Hinch and the Tigers will have some important decisions to make.
A.J. Hinch discusses possibility of firing coaches
Following the postponement of Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians, A.J. Hinch sat in the dugout and when asked about the possibility of making changes to his coaching staff, it did not sound like he planned on firing anyone at this time.
“The issue of job security is very sensitive,” he said. “It’s easy from the outside to not see the work, not see the dedication, not see the communication and just put it all on the coaches to have to fix it. The move (firing someone) is a 24-hour news cycle. If you don’t have a solution that you know is better immediately, then what?
“That’s not to say we’re immune to any changes or questions about what we’re going to do. But I am going to support my staff. I know the work that they put in. I know the feedback from the players. I know the pressure that’s involved. We are all responsible.”
Hinch added that winning will cure everything and that can all start in the Tigers’ first series after the All-Star break.
“We just need winning,” Hinch said. “Winning series, winning weeks, winning months. Winning stretches will help steer this in the right direction. We’ve got to gain experience for some of our guys and we have to do it with a group that’s different than we mapped out in April.
“What cures all this is more wins. We know the road ahead, we know the areas we need to strengthen both on the team and in the organization. And it can start in Oakland. It doesn’t have to start in 2023.”
Nation, what changes do you think the Detroit Tigers need to make. Do you think A.J. Hinch should make some coaching changes?
