The tenure of Brad Ausmus as Detroit Tigers manager could come to an end sooner rather than later. According to a report from Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, pressure on Ausmus is growing as the Tigers continue to slide down the standings in the American League.
Al Avila, the new GM, also supported Dombrowski’s call to tab Ausmus, but the voices against have grown stronger as the Tigers have slid. Upon taking the GM job, Avila said only that Ausmus would be kept through the season, telling folks he would be spending the remainder of the year “evaluating.”
One thing that does not bode well for Ausmus is the lack of fan support from patrons accustomed to watching excellent Tigers teams who have endured an abject disappointment. Few outside of Detroit will view this season as the fault of Ausmus, a well-respected figure throughout the game.
The Tigers have completely fallen apart this season under the leadership of Ausmus, falling to 61-72 and last place in the AL Central. Detroit hasn’t finished under .500, which looks to be a certainty this season, since 2008, which was also the last year the Tigers finished the season in the AL Central basement.
Dismissing Ausmus is a tricky situation, because it’s hard to pin all of the team’s struggles this year on him. Miguel Cabrera has only played 96 games. Yoenis Cespedes, David Price, and Joakim Soria were dealt at the trade deadline. Anibal Sanchez is on the DL. Justin Verlander has made only 14 tarts. Alfredo Simon and Shane Greene have struggled immensely (as has Sanchez when healthy). The bullpen is a dumpster fire, which has been a tradition in Detroit.
But that doesn’t mean Ausmus is blameless. The Tigers were swept out of the playoffs last year by the Orioles. Ausmus has continually received criticism for his in-game decisions. Even though Al Avila was an internal hire for the team’s GM spot following the departure of Dave Dombrowski, it’s reasonable to wonder whether or not he wants to hire his own manager once the 2015 season concludes.
