The Detroit Tigers are bringing Brad Ausmus on to be their next manager. In a Press Conference on Sunday evening, the Tigers made it official.
Ausmus, 44, will become the 37th manager of the Detroit Tigers. He played 18 seasons in the Majors, including two different stints with the Tigers. Ausmus was a catcher and was known for being an incredibly smart ball player.
The Tigers are coming off a fairly successful season, just falling short of a trip to the World Series by losing to the eventual champion Boston Red Sox . Jim Leyland managed the Tigers for eight years, winning two American League pennants and three AL Central division titles, giving Ausmus some big shoes to fill.
Not making Ausmus’ job any easier is that there will be high expectations in 2014. The Tigers march out one of the most talented teams in baseball. Offensive power houses like Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder are complemented well by some of MLB’s best starting pitchers like Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez. If Ausmus can handle the pressure, he is set up to succeed in his first managerial opportunity.
In a tweet on Sunday, Dave Dombrowski, the Tigers’ GM, said of Ausmus, “This guy was born to manage.” It only took 4 interviews and about a week for Dombrowski to be convinced Ausmus was the man for the job.
“I was taken back with how impressive he was,” Dombrowski said. “Every time Brad’s name came up, it was effusive with praise.”
Ausmus believes his greatest qualities will be his knowledge of the game and the make up of the current MLB player. The Detroit Tigers are hoping that Brad Ausmus can put those two things together and bring home a World Series Ring.
