On July 21st, former Tigers Manager Jim Leyland will be elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Leyland becomes the first manger elected to the Hall of Fame since 2014, and the 23rd overall. He retired in 2013 after recording 1,769 wins over 22 MLB Seasons. Leyland was the manager for the Detroit Tigers from 2006 to 2013, leading the Tigers to the World Series in 2006 and 2012 World Series. He had previously managed the Rockies, the Marlins, and the Pirates, and helped the Marlins win their first ever World Series. Leyland was known as an old school style manager. He was often profane and is tied for 10th place in MLB history for ejections, with 73. Leyland told Sports Illustrated Fan Nation that his strategy when dealing with young players was to “impress on them what it was to be a professional and how tough this game is to play.” Leyland doesn’t know what team’s hat he’ll wear when inducted in the Hall of Fame. He told the Detroit News “I managed several teams and I don’t want to disrespect any team I managed. I’m hoping the Hall will help me along with that. Possibly I’ll go with no logo.”
Jim Leyland’s time in Detroit reminds Detroit sports fans of better days, when Tiger’s ownership spent big money, with the expectation set at winning the World Series. Those past seasons seem long an eternity ago, with the Tigers having not made the playoffs for almost 10 years. The Tigers have often been described as “tanking” for better draft picks, or a team that is in a “rebuild.” The Tigers have struggled to consistently hit, especially for power because of Comerica Park’s deep fences. The Tiger’s rebuilding phase has hit many bumps in the road, from significant injuries to many young star pitchers, to the Tigers firing GM Al Avila last August, to signing Javier Baez, who has yet to produce the results he was expected to bring.
Scott Harris was hired in September of 2022 with the goal of retooling a team that has been near the bottom the MLB standings. The Tigers finished a promising season, finishing 2nd in their division with a record of 78-84, better than 66-96 in 2022. Many young players stepped up this season, including former first overall pick Spencer Torkelson, who many wondered if he could compete in the Big Leagues after his rookie season. Miguel Cabrera’s massive contract also comes off the books, allowing the Tigers to have more money to sign free agents.
The key for the Tigers this year is to keep players healthy. The Tigers will hopefully be getting all their great young starters back for the season. They also signed veteran Kenta Maeda, who previously played for the Twins and the Dodgers. The Tigers have set their expectations high this season and are hoping to return to the same success they had under Jim Leyland.