Detroit Tigers Worst Managers of All Time

At the end of the 2015 season, fans were surprised to hear that Brad Ausmus was returning as the manager of the Detroit Tigers. In his first season, the rookie manager surprised everyone with a trip to the playoffs, then disappointed those same fans when his team was swept by the Baltimore Orioles in 2014. During 2015 spring training and in the first few weeks of his second season, it seemed like the Tigers were ready to come out and play. But, as the season progressed, the weaknesses of the team and the manager became crystal clear.

While Ausmus has been lambasted about his ability to manage the bullpen and to work with this starting pitchers, he is not the worst manager the Detroit Tigers have ever seen. In fact, during the 114 years that the Tigers have been an official MLB team, there have been several managers who make Ausmus look like Sparky Anderson (well…not quite).

Interestingly, some of the best managers have actually filled the role of a player at the same time. Most Tigers fans are aware that Ty Cobb and Mickey Cochrane were two of the best players to wear the Old English D. Those two Hall of Fame players also served as managers. Cochrane actually managed his team to the 1935 World Series Championship. Cobb used his grumpy demeanor to managed the Tigers for six years; in all but one of those years, the team finished with a record above .500. These two men seemed to start the trend of hiring players to manage the team; but as time goes on, the player-manager has turned in the retired-player-turned-manager.

To see if Brad Ausmus is really one of the worst managers, it was easy to analyze the statistics and see who really was the worst. Here are the top five in the history of the Tigers:

Next: The Fifth Worst Manager

Fred Hutchinson (1952-1954)

Half way through the 1952 season, Fred Hutchinson replaced Red Rolfe as manager. After Rolfe had a few strong seasons, his team quickly dropped in the standings. Hutchinson was primed and ready to take over the team, but he did not prove to be a better manager. In 1952, Hutchinson only improved by .10 from Rolfe’s beginning. That year, the team finished 45 games back from first with 50 games won and 106 games lost. The next year, Hutchinson’s team finished 40 ½ games back with a .390 win rate. Hutchinson was given a third year at the helm and he proved to be slightly better. He never brought the team above the .500 mark; but in 1954, his team won 68 games and lost 86 finishing 43 games back.

Hutchinson’s 1953 team included the rookie Al Kaline and the aging Johnny Pesky (of the pole in Fenway Park). Hal Newhouser was a pitcher on this team, but he had his worst ERA ever: 7.06 which earned him a trade to the Cleveland Indians in the following year. Even with players of this caliber on the team, Hutchinson could not lead the majority of his players to batting averages over .275. This team lost 34 blowouts and 22 one-run games. It was certainly not a happy year for fans of the Tigers, especially on June 18, when the Red Sox scored 23 runs to the Tigers 3 runs at Fenway Park. 

Next: The Third Worst Manager

Ralph Houk (1974-1978)

The 1970s was not one of the Tigers best decades. Even though they were coming off of the 1968 World Series win, the team had some rough years. The worst manager from the 1970s was Ralph Houk. Before Houk, Billy Martin managed for a handful of years after Mayo Smith ended his tenure in 1970. Martin left the team in good condition, but Houk did not take advantage of this. In only one year – 1978, Houk led the team to a winning percentage above .500. In his four other years, his percentage moved between .358 and .460. In 1975, the Tigers finished 37 ½ games back with 57 wins and 102 losses.

Prior to his time in Detroit, Houk played, minimally, for the New York Yankees as a catcher. In 1947, he started in 41 games. In 1948, he started in 14. In his five other years in New York, he played in less than 10 games each year. He had one at-bat and one hit in the 1947 World Series where he played with greats like Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, and Phil Rizzuto. He did manage the 1961 and 1962 Yankees to the World Series, with players like Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Whitey Ford. Unfortunately for the Tigers, he did not deliver even with Mickey Stanley, Bill Freehan, Ron LeFlore, Willie Horton, and Mickey Lolich on his 1974 team that finished with a .358 win percentage. He went on to successfully manage the Red Sox until he finally retired in 1984. 

Next: The Second Worst Manager

Bucky Harris (1929-1932)

Bucky Harris is a manager who saw so much success he is enshrined in the Hall of Fame. But, in his first go-round with the Tigers, he did not lead them to victory. In fact, when he managed the Tigers between 1929 and 1933, he had four seasons below .500. He finished his 1931 season with a pathetic .396 win percentage, losing 93 games. Between 1929 and 1932, his teams finished 36, 27, 47, and 29 ½ games back chronologically. Those were four of the worst years in the team’s history.

Interestingly, 1931 marks a major milestone in the MLB. It was the first year that the teams put numbers on their jerseys. In this same year, the Tigers were shutout 8 times and blown out 28 times. Their worst loss of the year came at the hands of the New York Yankees when they defeated the Tigers 8-20 in Detroit. 

Next: The Worst Manager

Mar 27, 2015; Dunedin, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers special assistant Alan Trammell (3) watches batting practice before the start of the spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Alan Trammell (2003-2005)

Sadly, one of the most beloved Tigers players of all time is also the team’s worst manager in the history of the team. Alan Trammell led the Tigers through the team’s worst season and never had the team above a .500 win-loss record. For modern Detroit Tigers fans, there is one year that should be forgotten – 2003.  During that year, the team only won 43 games, losing 119. While this is not the worst loss in the Major League (that honor belongs to the 1918 Philadelphia Athletics 36-117), it is the worst loss in the modern American League.

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The Tigers were so bad in 2003 that one player, Ramon Santiago, actually finished last in the three categories that earn players the Triple Crown. One of the pitchers, Matt Maroth, that year lost 21 games, which is a record for AL pitchers. Very few pitchers finished with less than a 6.00 ERA. Other than the embarrassing statistics, no one has been able to figure out why the 2003 team was so bad. They players got along in the clubhouse, Trammell had Lance Parrish and Kirk Gibson as coaches on his team, and the players were better than their stats showed.

In 2004, some fresh faces were introduced into the team and Trammell led them to a .444 win-loss percentage. But, in 2005, the percentage dropped slightly to .438. After Trammell left and Jim Leyland entered the picture, the 2006 team went to win the American League and play the St. Louis Cardinals in the Fall Classic.