Jim Leyland didn't waste much time in deciding his future after the Tigers' 2013 season ended. Just two days after Detroit lost Game 6 of the ALCS to the Red Sox, the Tigers skipper is going to resign. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal was the first to report the news.
Leyland, 68, has been the manager in Detroit since 2006, leading the Tigers to the World Series in his first season. In eight years, he compiled a 700-597 record (a .540 winning percentage) with three AL Central titles and two AL pennants. Overall, Leyland has a 1769-1728 record over 22 seasons with four MLB teams. He won a World Series title with the Marlins in 1997. Also on his résumé are three league pennants and three Manager of the Year awards.
According to Tom Mazawey of Detroit Sports 105.1, Leyland informed the team of his decision during the flight home from Boston. That would certainly seem to indicate that retirement has been on his mind for a while. He surely envisioned going on out on top after winning a World Series championship, like his friend Tony La Russa.
Leyland was on a one-year contract, as he's been for the past two seasons. Taking it year-to-year was his preference, and team president Dave Dombrowski was willing to oblige. Though the Tigers failing to return to the World Series this year is viewed as a disappointment and the manager was coming under increasingly harsh scrutiny from fans, it seems likely that Dombrowski and owner Mike Ilitch would have renewed Leyland's contract had he wanted to return.
At a Monday press conference announcing his retirement, Leyland said that he will accept another position within the Tigers organization that is yet to be determined.
Naturally, speculation on Leyland's successor in the Detroit dugout begins immediately. Third-base coach Tom Brookens would appear to be the favorite. He played 12 seasons with the Tigers and worked his way up managing in the team's minor-league system for years. Brookens led Detroit's Single-A West Michigan club to a league title and managed its Double-A Erie team for two seasons before joining Leyland's coaching staff as first-base coach in 2009. For years, he seemed to be groomed as the heir apparent to Leyland.
But if the Tigers want to take a departure from the Leyland regime, would Brookens be more of the same? Obviously, that would also hold true for Gene Lamont and Lloyd McClendon, both of whom have previous experience managing in the big leagues and have been longtime coaches on Leyland's staff. (Lamont interviewed for the Red Sox's managerial opening in 2011, which eventually went to Bobby Valentine.) Yet there is definitely something to be said for maintaining what's been a successful run over the past eight seasons.
Larry Parrish, currently the manager of Detroit's Triple-A Toledo club, could also be considered. He's managed in the Tigers organization for 15 years, winning four league titles and playing a role in developing many of Detroit's players during that span.
Some Tigers fans will point to Kirk Gibson, who played in Detroit for 12 seasons, did analysis on the team's regional broadcasts for five years and was part of Alan Trammell's coaching staff from 2003 to 2005. Gibson is also a local product, having played college football at Michigan State and still lives in the state. But he's currently the Arizona Diamondbacks' manager, under contract for next season with club options for 2015 and 2016.
Additionally — and this is purely my opinion — there's bad blood between Gibson and Dombrowski over how Trammell and his coaches were dismissed after the 2005 season. As long as Dombrowski is in charge of the Tigers, I seriously doubt Gibson would return to the team.
If experience is important to Dombrowski in taking over a veteran team, Manny Acta — currently an analyst with ESPN and a former manager with the Nationals and Indians — could be someone to consider, in addition to the in-house options the Tigers already have. It's certainly worth noting that Ilitch has often gone after big coaching and executive names while owning the Tigers (Leyland, Dombrowski, Randy Smith, Phil Garner) and NHL's Red Wings (Bryan Murray, Scotty Bowman, Mike Babcock).
But if the Tigers president is open to hiring a first-time manager, many candidates are available, including Rays bench coach Dave Martinez (in the running for the Cubs' opening), D-Backs third-base coach Matt Williams (under consideration for the Nats' job) and Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo played eight seasons in the Tigers organization and has nine years of minor-league managerial experience on his résumé. He's also someone the Cubs are looking at to replace Dale Sveum.
One intriguing possibility could be Brad Ausmus, who played three seasons with the Tigers and has been drawing interest as a managerial candidate from several MLB teams, including the Red Sox, Cubs and Astros. He would certainly be the complete opposite of Leyland, younger and open to the advanced data and metrics that have increasingly become an important part of the game and a manager's job.
