DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – Not waiting until the end of the season to part ways with Vice President/General Manager Al Avila, Tigers Chairman and CEO Christopher Ilitch made a major move for the the team on Wednesday afternoon. “I think heading into the season, all of us at the ballclub – that would include the players, front office and I think many of you, if not all of your – had high expectations and excitement for the season. Unfortunately, we did not see progress this season at the Major League level, and it’s a big reason why I decided it’s time to make a change,” said Ilitch.
Avila came to Detroit in 2002 being a part of the team for 20 years. He helped build the Tigers into strong contenders for a World Series title winning AL Central championships from 2011 through 2014. They then contended for an AL Wild Card spot in 2016. In 2015, Avila started to rebuild the team from the previous three seasons trading away J.D. Martinez, Justin Upton, Justin Verlander, and Ian Kinsler.
Detroit went to the World Series twice in Avila’s 20-year span in 2006 and 2012. In 2006, they fell in five games to St. Louis winning game two, 3-1. The 2012 series wasn’t as fortunate as they were swept by the San Franciso Giants. In 2013, Detroit lost to the Red Sox in six games for the AL Championship and another chance at the World Series. They won game one, 1-0, and game four, 7-3, to tie the series at two only to lose the next two games, 4-3, and 5-2, missing out on going back to World Series. It was a disappointment in 2014 winning 90 games but they didn’t make it out of the AL Divisional Series being swept by the Orioles. It was after the 2014 season that Detroit started the dismantling of the team and a rebuild of the organization.
Ilitch said, “At this point in time, enough of the season has occurred and we’ve played enough games to where I feel as though we just have not seen progress this year. And I’ve been very clear year in and year out: We need to make progress each and every year. If we do that, ultimately, we will accomplish our objectives. And that’s what led me to the decision.”
Avila became the Vice President in 2015 after Detroit dismissed then team president/CEO Dave Dombrowski. It was former owner Mike Ilitch that promoted Avila to the top position. Avila immediately started to reshape the organization with their farm teams and invested millions of dollars in the Lakeland, Fla., Spring Training Facility that helped player development adding a technology hub for their focus on improvement.
Detroit’s strongest season came in 2016 with 86 wins but they missed the playoffs. That followed with six straight losing seasons including a 47-114 season in 2019. A.J. Hinch was hired in October 2020 to help turn the struggling rebuild around and it looked as if Detroit was turning the corner last year with 77 wins. Then injuries, prospects not turning into what was hoped for, and failed free agency attempts for players turned into just 43 wins so far in 2022 and the departure of Avila.
Hinch will be involved in the process of new leader for Detroit but has no plans to put his name in for the GM job. “I’m the manager. I plan on being the manager. The Detroit Tigers organization is a good place. We have a ton of opportunity,” says Hinch.
Current Vice President and Assistant GM Sam Menzin will run the day-to-day items for the baseball operations department as Ilitch looks for a new GM.
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