Scott Harris expressed complete confidence in A.J. Hinch while making clear that Detroit’s approach needs work. After missing the postseason, the Tigers are examining how they develop players, execute throughout games and handle their most consequential situations.

At Monday’s season-ending press conference, Harris was asked how much change Detroit needs after two consecutive playoff appearances gave way to a 76–86 season. His answer included a strong endorsement of Hinch and a call for adjustments around him.

“I think personnel-wise, we still have one of the best managers in the game, and I trust him completely. I think his coaching staff is really talented, and they can help us in a variety of ways.”

That confidence came with an acknowledgment that Detroit must adapt its methods to the players now reaching the majors.

Harris Wants Development to Match a Younger Roster

Harris tied the need for adjustments directly to the changing makeup of the team. His continued emphasis on building through player development puts additional importance on how those players are taught and used once they arrive.

“But I do think we need to make some tweaks to how we are approaching the development of our players, given the youth on our roster and given the different profiles that we have that are quite different than the profiles we’ve had over the last three teams since I’ve been here.”

That is a meaningful qualification to Harris’ endorsement of the staff. He believes in the people responsible for developing Detroit’s players, but he also expects their approach to evolve with the roster.

Harris did not detail specific instructional changes in that answer. He did say the work was already underway.

Cleaner Baseball Is Part of the Assignment

The discussion also returned to issues Harris had identified earlier in the press conference: executing consistently across nine innings and performing better in high-pressure situations. Those concerns sit alongside his admission that he failed to build enough roster depth.

“I think from a process standpoint and approach standpoint, we can make a lot of changes. I think some of the areas that we need to develop in our organization and with our players directly can help us answer some of the questions that I just outlined before about how do we play clean baseball through nine innings and how do we perform across low, medium and high leverage.”

Harris said those discussions had been taking place for months. His comments place responsibility on the organization to improve its preparation and instruction, as well as on players to execute more consistently.

Scott Harris Backs A.J. Hinch, With Expectations

Harris closed the answer by describing changes that might be difficult to observe from outside the organization. He stopped short of providing a public checklist or timetable.

“So there’s going to be a lot of things that are changing under the hood. I don’t know how visible they are going to be to you guys, but we’re actively working on it. We have been for months.”

Personnel changes have since entered the picture, too, with reports that Detroit is parting with assistant pitching coach Juan Nieves and first base coach Anthony Sanders. Harris did not announce those moves during Monday’s answer, and his comments should not be read as a guarantee that the entire staff would return.

His backing of Hinch was unequivocal. The expectation attached to it is that Detroit’s development work and daily preparation produce cleaner, more consistent baseball in 2027.