https://www.detroitathletic.com/blog/2016/05/20/time-tigers-fire-brad-ausmus/
Who could replace Brad Ausmus?
Detroit Athletic
Is it time for the Detroit Tigers to fire Brad Ausmus? That is the question on the minds of much of the Tigers? media and fan base. With 11 losses in 14 games through last Sunday, and the Tigers in danger of falling too far back of the Central Division-leading Chicago White Sox, there seems to be increasing call for the Tigers to cut bait with Ausmus and find a new managerial direction. Sure, the Tigers swept the Twins earlier this week but the Twins are little more than a Triple-A team.
After a good regular season in his debut as Tigers manager, not much has gone right for Ausmus. In the fall of 2014, the Tigers were swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Division Series. Then came last season?s last-place finish, which essentially resulted in the midseason firing of Dave Dombrowski and an off-season of major change engineered by new general manager Al Avila. And now the Tigers are struggling again, with only the incredibly awful Minnesota Twins standing between them and last place in the Central Division.
Critics are roasting Ausmus
No one doubts Ausmus? intelligence or baseball background. He?s an Ivy League graduate (Dartmouth College, 1991) and a longtime big league catcher who was known for his defensive prowess, his understanding of pitchers, and his ability to call a game. But being a smart ex-catcher doesn?t guarantee success as a manager. Ausmus has drawn criticism for a lack of fire and energy, and for a failure to instill sufficient discipline in a clubhouse that may be too loose. Some say he is too bland and passive, which is the kind of manager that many Sabermetric general managers seem to prefer, but who too often come up short in terms of inspiring their players. Even an animated blowup on Monday night at Comerica Park in which Ausmus removed his sweatshirt and draped it on home plate to express his displeasure over the strike zone seems more out of character than an indication of any fire in the belly of the Detroit skipper.
In recent days, Ausmus has come under more specific criticism. In one game against Washington, he put in Victor Martinez as a pinch-hitter, even though it was obvious that the Nationals would pitch around him and walk him. In that same game, Ausmus left Anibal Sanchez in to pitch the seventh inning, despite his recent history of pitching poorly in the late innings. Sanchez proceeded to collapse, cementing yet another loss. In yet another game against the Nats, he came under fire for not using league-leading hitter Nick Castellanos as a pinch-hitter with the game in the balance.
If the Tigers do fire Ausmus?and another bad stretch of baseball could seal that deal?the question inevitably becomes: who will be his successor? Unfortunately, there don?t appear to be any Sparky Andersons or Billy Martins in the current managerial pool (or even any Ralph Houks), so the Tigers may have to settle for more mediocrity in their new manager. Let?s take a look at a few possible candidates, all of whom have their level of support within the Tiger fandom.
Who could replace Brad Ausmus?
Omar Vizquel: He appears to be the favorite if Ausmus takes the fall. Of all the Tigers? current coaches, Vizquel is the only one who appears to have any chance of managing the team this summer. As the team?s first base coach, Vizquel is well-respected for his work as an infield instructor and his general baseball IQ. He is also fully bilingual, which helps him communicate with all of the Tigers? players, Latino or otherwise. Plus, he is familiar with the Tigers? personnel and knows the players? strengths and weaknesses as well as anyone.
Still, there is a downside. Vizquel lacks managerial experience, even at the minor league level. After hiring a manager like Ausmus, who also had no managing experience and came directly from the front office, the Tigers might prefer a manager who has filled out a lineup card before.
Ron Gardenhire: There were whispers that the Tigers nearly hired Gardenhire last fall, before Avila decided to give Ausmus the chance to return. In contrast to Vizquel, Gardenhire has loads of experience, dating back to his 13-year tenure as the skipper of the Minnesota Twins. He is also more aggressive in his managerial style and tougher on his players than Ausmus. Gardenhire would represent a departure from Ausmus in that he is clearly from the old school and has shown little interest in studying and analyzing Sabermetric data. Some members of the Minnesota media regard him as a managerial dinosaur?pointing to a sub-500 record in each of his last four seasons with the Twins?and as someone who would be nothing more than a retread manager in Detroit.
Gardenhire is currently serving the Twins as the assistant to general manager Terry Ryan, so the Tigers would need Minnesota?s permission to interview or hire him. Unless the Twins plan on hiring Gardenhire to come back as their own manager, they almost certainly would not stand in Detroit?s way of hiring him as Ausmus? successor.
Jim Leyland: This would seem to be a longshot, given that Leyland is officially retired from fulltime managing and has already committed to managing Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Leyland certainly brings more fire and discipline to the table than Ausmus, but there are those who feel (including yours truly) that his time has come and gone. He did not handle the bullpen well during his final years with Detroit. He also seemed to have become too bitter, too stubborn, perhaps worn down by so many losses over the years. Frankly, the Tigers need to think about a fresh approach in managing, not reverting back to an aging skipper who has already retired twice.
Lloyd McClendon: Currently the manager at Triple-A Toledo, McClendon has been the subject of speculation ever since Avila hired him over the winter. Avila clearly likes McClendon, but the question is this: is there really that much to like? In seven seasons as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners, McClendon has exactly one winning season. In 2015, his Mariners underachieved so badly that he was fired by the club at season?s end.
McClendon is generally well-liked by his players, but also has a reputation for stubbornly refusing to change judgments of players when he is proven wrong. That refusal to adapt his opinion does not bode well for a big league manager.
As poorly as the Tigers have played, their season is not over. They are only seven games out of first place in a division that has underperformed through mid-May. Neither the Kanas City Royals nor the Cleveland Indians have played well, giving the Tigers something of an early season cushion. And most of Avila?s winter moves have not panned out, at least not yet, putting the general manager on early notice. So perhaps Ausmus deserves a longer leash in trying to turn the tide of his underachieving team of veterans.
Then again, a source in the Tigers? front office says that the firing of Ausmus seems to be inevitable. If that is indeed the case, then the Tigers should get busy and make the change now and give the reins to Vizquel, the freshest face available, while the season is still young and capable of being saved.
