Detroit Tigers officially hire Ron Gardenhire as next manager

Detroit Tigers fans will see a new manager in 2018. After the decision not to bring Brad Ausmus back, the team was without a skipper. Now, Ron Gardenhire will replace Ausmus.

Detroit Tigers executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager Al Avila has found the team’s next manager.

That would be Ron Gardenhire.

The former Twins manager and Arizona bench coach was introduced to the media in the Motor City Friday at a press conference.

Detroit announced the move in an official press release.

Per the press release, the manager has signed a three-year deal with the Tigers.

Gardenhire has 13 years of experience as a manager at the Major League level, all with the Minnesota Twins.

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Winning

He won 90 or more games on five different occasions, and eclipsed the 85-win plateau seven times.

The skipper led the Twins to six different American League Central division crowns. The six division titles represented his only six playoff appearances in the Twin Cities.

Overall, Gardy won 1068 games with the Twins from 2002 to 2014.

He won American League manager of the year in 2010, beating out a field that included Joe Maddon, Terry Francona and Joe Girardi.

Expierence

Early on, Gardenhire helped develop a Twins roster that brought up players or developed players like the skipper takes over Torii Hunter, Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer, Joe Mauer, Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano.

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The skipper inherits a young Tigers team that is in the midst of a rebuild.

Detroit shipped out veterans Justin Verlander, J.D. Martinez, Justin Upton, Justin Wilson and Alex Avila. The Tigers also parted with Francisco Rodriguez during the season, ushering in a full-blown youth movement.

However, there will be some exciting talents who will soon graduate the minors and enter Gardenhire’s team.

The likes of Franklin Perez, Christin Stewart, Beau Burrows, Grayson Long, Mike Gerber and Bryan Garcia could all be with the Tigers within the next year or two.

Detroit also returns a number of promising younger players already on the Major League roster in Michael Fulmer, Nicholas Castellanos, Jeimer Candelario, Mikie Mahtook, Shane Greene, Joe Jimenez, Matthew Boyd, James McCann and Daniel Norris as well as veterans like Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler and Alex WIlson.

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If Gardenhire can consistently get the Tigers to play above their punching weight on a yearly basis, regardless of Detroit’s record, this hire will be a significant win for the team.