Lloyd McClendon

Date of Birth: 1/11/1959
Birthplace: Gary, Indiana
College: Valparaiso University

On November 5, 2013, the Seattle Mariners hired Lloyd McClendon as their new manager. McClendon became the nineteenth manager of the Mariners since 1977 and the team's eighth manager since 2002. Hopefully, he will have better success with the team than his predecessors did.

McClendon started his professional baseball career in 1980 when he was drafted by the New York Mets. He played in the minor leagues for the Mets until he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in 1982 for Tom Seaver. From 1983 through 1987, McClendon was a utility player in the Reds minor league system, playing various positions, including catcher, third baseman, first baseman, and outfielder. In 1987, he moved up to the major leagues, playing primarily as a pinch hitter in 45 games with the Reds.

After the 1988 season, the Reds traded McClendon to the Chicago Cubs. He played just one season with the Cubs, mostly at first base and in left field. In 1990, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played with the Pirates through the 1994 season, serving mostly as an outfielder. After leaving the Pirates, McClendon signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians for the 1995 season. He retired as a player after that season.

McClendon's statistics in eight seasons as a major league player include:

• 570 games played
• 294 hits
• 54 doubles
• 35 home runs
• 154 RBIs
• .244 batting average

McClendon continued in professional baseball after his retirement, signing on as a minor league hitting instructor with the Pirates in 1996. The following season he was promoted to hitting coach for the Pirates, a position he held through 2000.

McClendon's managerial career started in 2001 when he was promoted to manager of the Pirates. He managed the team for five seasons (2001-2005). During that time, the team never had a winning record and they never advanced beyond fourth place in the National League Central division. On September 6, 2005, when the Pirates were in last place in the division, McClendon was fired. His record as manager of the Pirates was 336 wins to 446 losses.

In 2006, McClendon had a new position with a new team. This time it was as bullpen coach for the Detroit Tigers. A year later, he was moved to hitting coach, a position he held through the 2013 season.

McClendon led the Mariners to an 87-75 record and a third place finish in the AL West division in 2014. His overall record as a manager is 423 wins to 521 losses. In 2015, the Mariners finished n fourth place with a 76-86 record. McClendon was fired as manager on October 9, 2015.

On November 23, 2015, McClendon was hired as a minor league manager for the Detroit Tigers. He was moved back to the major leagues on October 21, 2016, when he was once again hired as the hitting coach for the Tigers. He became the Tigers' bench coach in September, 2019. A year later, he was their interim manager.

On January 27, 2022, McClendon was hired as a minor league manager for the Tigers.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Lloyd McClendon
ESPN - Lloyd McClendon