THE BEST MONEY EVER SPENT

by Holly Horning

Isn’t it amazing what happens when you sign quality talent?

I’m not talking about the players.

I am talking about the personnel.  Specifically Scott Harris, Ryan Garko, Rob Metzler, Kenny Graham, Gabe Ribas, Ryan Sienko, Mark Connor, A. J. Hinch and his coaches and the dozens of others who have been brought in to craft the entire process of acquiring, developing and promoting the talent we see on the field.  (Jeff Greenberg remains off this list simply because he was just hired.)

It is the difference between night and day.

Few teams have been as clueless as the Tigers when it came to hiring those to run the organization.  After Sparky Anderson’s retirement, there was a parade of first-time managers and former players who became skippers. 

And it really was sad that the Tigers couldn’t go beyond their boundaries and explore managerial talent outside the organization.  Instead, they took the easy way out by hiring Dave Dombrowski’s former Marlins manager, Jim Leyland, who had been retired for 6 years since walking away from both of his contracts with the Marlins (after 2 years) and Rockies (after 1 year).

Seriously, how many other organizations decided that going after long-retired managers was the perfect solution to their needs?  It really does smack of either being unimaginative, lazy, desperate and/or believing that the personnel you bring in isn’t really important to winning.

All of these people who managed in Detroit had 1 thing in common.  They hired their friends as coaches.  Or in the case of Brad Ausmus, they were chosen for him with almost everyone inherited from his predecessor. There were zero outside hires of individuals with no connection to the Tigers.  Like Leyland, most of them were retired, unemployed or fixtures within the organization for decades.

A significant number of them – esp. those in charge of departments – were holdovers from the Montreal-Miami-Pittsburgh clique.

That’s not how you get better.  It is what holds you back.

Today, the Tigers’ Front Office is filled with in-demand hires.  New employees poached from top teams.  All of them gainfully employed before being enticed away.  And none of them with Tiger ties.  A great mix from at least half a dozen different organizations.

Men who have worked with the top minds in the industry and with teams that perform at a consistently high level.  Guys who are here to make a difference and not just collect a paycheck.

And it is really showing.

The list of players both at the MLB and MiLB levels who are raving about the coaching and support they are getting is growing substantially.  And they are voluntarily going on the record about it.  (On Thursday, we’ll dig into the minor leagues so please save your comments about them until then.)

When did we ever read about what Dave Littlefield, David Chadd, Rick Anderson, Lloyd McClendon or any of the former coaches did to help their players?

Today, it’s a weekly occurrence.  And I’m not kidding.

Jake Rogers last week describing the changes to both his catching and hitting skills suggested by those respective coaches.

Spencer Torkelson raving about Michael Brdar, Keith Beauregard and James Rowson, his hitting coaches.  Talking about his close bond with Brdar who unlocked his hitting skills and giving him full credit for his offensive improvement.  Mapping out an off-season plan, tweaking his mechanics and changing the type of bat he used last winter.

Kerry Carpenter gave a shout out to the hitting coaches as well when he started to slump at the plate.  And George Lombard who worked extensively with him in the outfield who noticeably improved his defensive skills.

The list of hitters goes on.

And so does the pitching roster.

Tyler Holton credits Chris Fetter, Robin Lund and Juan Nieves with helping him develop a top-notch slider.  Holton is regularly mentioned as a worthy candidate for Rookie of the year.

Sawyer Gipson-Long credits Director of Pitching, Gabe Ribas and Pitching Coordinator, Stephanos Stroop with improving his changeup and developing a sinker.  There are others in the minors who are singing their praises, too.

Starting pitchers Micheal Lorenzen, Matt Manning, Reese Olson and Tarik Skubal are also on the record about how their pitching coaches helped them improve significantly.

And now that the year is over, this new crop of personnel is still engaged.  No one is taking time off.

Gone are the days when former managers and their coaches notoriously left the players alone to their own devices for months – until spring training.

Remember when every year players would show up to spring training overweight and out of shape?  And the manager and coaches were surprised?

Remember when there were so many concerns about Miguel Cabrera’s weight year after year that the Tigers did nothing about it until the damage had already been done?  And even then, they simply told him to hire a chef.

Or when pitchers fiddled with their delivery over the winter with no guidance, risking injury?

Or even when players admitted that they didn’t return their manager’s phone calls or texts?  That is, when they were actually called which wasn’t very often if at all.

No longer.

It’s all part of Scott Harris’ 3 mantras about introducing a “culture of learning” and creating a desire for players to come to Detroit because they want to get better.

Every player on the major or minor league rosters is now followed all winter long and in regular contact with their manager, coaches and specialists.

In Detroit, there is now a formal year-end exit interview.  A sit down with A. J. Hinch, Scott Harris and the appropriate coaches to review the year.  What went right, what went wrong and how to fix and improve everything.  Goals are set.

A strategy is mapped out, a plan is printed out and the resources are put into place to help make things happen.  This would include specific exercises, specialized gym equipment, independent coaches to keep them engaged and practice video that is sent back to the coaches for review.  Even nutritional strategies and menus are developed and printed out by the newly-hired nutritionists who meet with every player and design a custom-made plan.

Since A. J. Hinch was hired, he and most of his coaches have traveled to all of their players’ locations to bond and work with them.  That will continue over this winter, too. 

How this off-season is being handled is a 180 degree turn from the past.  And it’s already paying off.

Under new leadership, the organization is finally understanding that the people you hire directly impact the results seen.

It’s about the top people who come on board.  They are the best because they pay attention to the details.  They are committed to their work and insist upon reaching goals and achieving positive results.

They are not looking to do the minimum amount of work involved.  They go above and beyond.

When you hire quality people, you get quality results.

And hiring them is undoubtedly the best money the Tigers have ever spent.

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