"A.J. HINCH ADDRESSES every question as if he's been given the answers in advance. He speaks with abject certainty about pitching changes and lineup decisions and momentum shifts. There's never a pause to formulate an answer before sending the words into the world. He can explain a simple, subtle lineup change like an architect detailing the placement of windows. He is calm and assured and consistent, every answer traveling in a straight line. If we ever need someone to narrate the apocalypse, A.J.'s our guy."
"He was the same guy when the Detroit Tigers were stomping their way to the best record in baseball and building a lead in the American League Central that reached 15½ games on July 8. He was the same in September, when the Tigers were losing series to the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins, and getting swept by the Cleveland Guardians and Atlanta Braves amid an unthinkable collapse that gave the division title to the Guardians, who won 16-of-17 to end the season."
A.J. Hinch speaks and acts with unshakable certainty, explaining tactical moves calmly and consistently. The Tigers built a 15½-game AL Central lead by July 8 before an astonishing September collapse that allowed the Guardians to win 16 of 17 and take the division. The Tigers recovered to beat the Guardians in the wild-card round but now trail 2–1 in the ALDS to the Mariners. Hinch's core strategy is to radiate confidence to players, like a contact high. The roster is unconventional: aside from Tarik Skubal there are no universally feared stars, and former No. 1 picks Spencer Torkelson and Casey Mize have struggled.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]