This horrifying AJ Hinch stat perfectly encapsulates Tigers fans' frustrations

Despite a brief respite at the very beginning of the month, the Tigers are slowly slipping back into their losing ways. Entering play on Friday, they've lost four of their last five and failed to score more than two runs in any of those losses.

While he is, of course, not the only Tiger worthy of blame, Jahmai Jones has been the player bearing the brunt of fan criticism during this latest stretch. On Tuesday against the Astros, AJ Hinch sent Jones out to pinch-hit for Kerry Carpenter against lefty Bryan King in the eighth with two outs. The Tigers had a little momentum after Dillon Dingler scored the go-ahead run for Detroit on a sac fly, but Jones popped out to end the inning.

Keider Montero and Will Vest combined to give the lead back to Houston in the bottom of the inning, and the Tigers lost 4-2.

Frustration with Jones, who's now batting .129 with a .436 OPS and is worth -1.1 bWAR, has been mounting, but complaints have also been directed toward the guy who insists upon playing him.

Hinch has remained stubborn on Jones' effectiveness (or rather, the possibility of his effectiveness) to no avail. He's made bullpen decisions, like continuing to send Will Vest out in any inning other than the ninth, that fans have not been quiet about their distaste for.

While we have to empathize with Hinch to a certain extent — he's only working with the roster he's been given — his decisions have had an obvious and directly negative impact on the outcome of games.

Tigers' AJ Hinch ranks last among MLB managers in average win probability change based on in-game decisions

The Tigers have blown 23 leads this season. Sure, sometimes pitchers can fall apart or bats don't come through without it being anyone else's fault, but Hinch ultimately has the final word on who he's choosing to send to the plate or the mound at any given moment.

Hinch's matchup-based decision making was thrilling in 2024, when the Tigers were winning by the skin of their teeth, but it's since soured very quickly in the eyes of fans. Not only are the players not coming through, Hinch is over-managing. Take Carpenter and Jones, for one. Analytics might suggest Jones should be the better hitter in any lefty-right situation, but fans would take Carpenter first in any scenario.

There's a reason we're not managers and Hinch is, but it's abundantly clear that Hinch's choices are not working out for the Tigers this year. The numbers prove it.

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