No sooner than his year long suspension had ended, the Detroit Tigers have hired A.J. Hinch to be their new manager.
Why? Hinch's credentials consist of winning a World Series under tainted circumstances. Take away that World Series title and what do you have?
Tigers General Manager Al Avila said of Hinch:
We had a pretty good knowledge of AJ, of who he was. There was never a doubt in my mind of his character, honesty -- he's one of the better guys that you're going to meet in the game, or in life in general. One mistake does not determine a man.
Character? Honesty? Those are not the first words that come to mind when I think of Hinch. Yes, one mistake does not necessarily determine a man but this depends greatly on the nature of his mistake.
When Hinch was interviewed by Tom Verducci on the MLB Network back in February, I argued that he came across as self-serving:
My impression of the interview was that of someone angling for some team to hire him as a manager in 2021 - perhaps even the Astros.
While Hinch claimed he was taking responsibility he also repeatedly said he wanted to move on. When asked about what he regretted most about the scandal and role in it Hinch said he would leave that to others. It's safe to say he didn't want to answer the question.
If anything teams should be more wary of Hinch after the interview. He claimed he didn't feel confident in his leadership skills in 2017. Why not? He had been their manager since 2015 leading them to the AL Wild Card. At the very minimum, it is clear Hinch wasn't running the show. Perhaps Alex Cora and Carlos Beltran were. In which case, their terminations are all the more justified.
As for Hinch, he said he twice broke the video monitor used to steal signs. Either he didn't do it front of the team or if he did the club didn't listen to him. Neither scenario inspires my confidence.
OK, I was wrong about the Astros rehiring him. (That might not be the case where it concerns Alex Cora and the Boston Red Sox.) Perhaps the Astros were wary of him after all. The same cannot be said of the Tigers who have finished in last place in the AL Central in four of the past six seasons. Under the circumstances their hiring of Hinch and the swiftness with which they hired him reeks of desperation.
Above all, the hiring of Hinch sends a bad message by rewarding someone associated with scandal rather than a hard working minor league manager who has paid his dues (i.e. Brian Snitker of the Atlanta Braves) or a veteran former big league manager with unimpeachable credibility (i.e. the Chisox bringing Tony La Russa out of retirement yesterday albeit at the expense of Rick Renteria who got the team to its first post-season appearance in 12 years.)
I believe the Detroit Tigers will rue their decision to hire Hinch and that it will ultimately end Al Avila's tenure with the Tigers.
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