Change in hitting coaches won't fix Tigers' problems at the plate
Lynn Henning
November 03, 2009 23:23 PM
A year ago the Tigers had pitching problems. A year ago the Tigers fired their pitching coach.
After a season when Tigers hitters on too many days had a strained relationship with the scoreboard, shouldn't the Tigers consider a change in batting coaches? Why not fire or reassign Lloyd McClendon and give someone else with a fresh eye and perspective a chance to figure out, for example, Curtis Granderson's problems against left-handers?
"That's a legitimate question because we changed Chuck Hernandez," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said during a Tuesday morning phone conversation. "But Lloyd McClendon was the same guy when Placido Polanco got 200 hits, and when Magglio Ordonez led the league in hitting and Miguel Cabrera led the league in home runs, and when Curtis Granderson hit .300.
"And I think you've got to be careful with that. You start putting blame on people and making all kinds of changes, and I think it's unstable for the team. It's easy to say, 'Someone isn't doing good,' but it's not that simple.'
"Fans are upset. And with fans being upset, I don't disagree," Leyland added. "That's the normal reaction from people. They think that (firing a coach) is a cure-all. But if I thought Lloyd McClendon was the problem, I'd change hitting coaches."
Leyland was asked about a common refrain from Tigers fans: That he retains McClendon because "he's Leyland's buddy."
In fact, most coaches for most managers have some degree of friendship, which helps explain why they end up on a particular skipper's staff. You don't tackle an eight-month baseball season with guys you don't like.
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(Image: Robin Buckson / The Detroit News)
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