In a whirlwind span of 24 hours, things flipped from unlikely to reality. The Detroit Tigers announced the hiring of A.J. Hinch as their new manager on Friday afternoon. The former Houston Astros skipper becomes the 39th manager in Tigers history.
Hinch has been presumed the most desirable target for general manager Al Avila all along. His player development experience and track record of hiring effective coaching staffs, coupled with his tenure managing one of the most progressive, data-driven clubs in the game, make him the perfect fit to help lead a modernizing Tigers club back to contention in the years to come.