YouTuber places blame for Tigers’ spiral on AJ Hinch (but it won’t change anything)

The Detroit Tigers probably aren’t going to make the playoffs this year, which is very disappointing based on how the team looked on paper going into the season. While there’s still a chance they could go on a run and sneak in, it’s not too early to start the autopsy on the 2026 season and see where things went wrong.

One YouTuber, Foolish Bailey, did a deep dive into manager AJ Hinch’s mismanagement of the bullpen this season. Even though he’s typically done a good job of managing his bullpens in the past, the team has blown more games than any other in baseball when leading after six innings, so the numbers speak for themselves.

The video is well worth a watch, but his main points are that Hinch has pushed his relievers too hard at times, demanding they get more than three outs while there are repeated instances that their effectiveness goes down when pushed to get four outs or more.

He’s also used some relievers too many times in one week and their performance has predictably been subpar, even though he does try to avoid having relievers pitch on back-to-back days.

Another decision that has backfired has been his usage with Keider Montero. Early in the season he would take Montero out of the game even if he was pitching well in order to bring in a lefty, but then the bullpen would blow the game in the late innings. To be fair, it is Montero's first season as a regular starting pitcher, so giving him more rest is probably smart.

Tigers should be much better than their record suggests

Add it all up and one gets a team that is better than its actual record. Going off run differential, the Tigers should be in the playoffs. It’s not hard to envision a reality in which they have a much better first half, keep Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, maybe add an outfield bat at the deadline, and are currently trying to make a run.

Yet, Hinch’s decisions didn’t work out and the Tigers are instead probably going to spend October at home.

Don’t expect Hinch to be on the hot seat, though. He’s had a good run as manager of the Tigers so he is not in danger of losing his job. It also doesn’t hurt that president of baseball operations Scott Harris love him, so that tandem will be together for at least another year.

Maybe Hinch can change course and reevaluate his bullpen usage next year though. If he doesn’t push guys as much and tries to strike a more balanced approach, then maybe the bullpen woes that hurt Detroit so often this season could be fixed in 2027.

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