A.J. Hinch, Manager, Detroit Tigers

Date of Birth: 5/15/1974
Birthplace: Waverly, Iowa
College: Stanford University

A.J. Hinch, manager of the Detroit Tigers, was a catcher in the major leagues for seven years. He was drafted in 1996 by the Oakland Athletics while he was in his last year at Stanford University. After two years in the minor leagues, he joined the Athletics in 1998 and he played with them through the 2000 season before being traded to the Kansas City Royals.

After two seasons (2001-2002) with the Royals, Hinch was released. The following March, he signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians but he didn't last long with them. Prior to the 2003 season, his contract was bought by the Detroit Tigers. He played with the Tigers in 2003 and with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2004. He spent 2005, his last year as a player, in the minor leagues.

Hinch ended his career as a major league baseball player with 209 hits, 112 RBIs, 214 strikeouts to 71 walks, and a .219 batting average in 350 games. As a catcher, he made 121 assists, 1,672 putouts, and 24 errors with a .182 caught stealing percentage and a .987 fielding percentage in 338 games.

After retiring as a player, Hinch was hired as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks' minor league operations in 2005. In August, 2006, he was named director of player development for the team. Almost three years later, on May 8, 2009, he replaced Bob Melvin as manager of the Diamondbacks. He stayed in that position until he was fired on July 1, 2010. At that time, the Diamondbacks had a 31-48 record. Hinch's total managerial record with the Diamondbacks was 89 wins to 123 losses.

Hinch didn't stay unemployed for long. In September, 2010, he was named vice president of professional scouting for the San Diego Padres. He kept that position until he resigned on August 5, 2014. Almost two months later, on September 29, 2014, he replaced Bo Porter as the Houston Astros manager.

In 2015, Hinch led the Astros to the playoffs for the first time since 2005. They finished the regular season in second place in the American League West division, winning a Wild Card spot with an 86-76 record. They defeated the New York Yankees in the Wild Card game with a score of 3-0. They then went on to the AL Division Series which they lost three games to two to the Kansas City Royals.

Hinch and the Astros finished in third place in the AL West division in 2016. They had 84 wins to 78 losses.

Hinch and the Astros won it all in 2017. They finished the regular season with 101 wins to 61 losses, 21 games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels in the American League West division. It was the third best record in baseball in 2017, behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cleveland Indians. They then went on to defeat the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS (3 games to 1) and the New York Yankees in seven games in the ALCS to win the AL pennant. In a hard fought battle with the Dodgers in the World Series, the Astros and Hinch won the title in seven games.

Hinch and the Astros had another good season in 2018, winning the AL West division title with 103 wins to 59 losses. They then swept the Indians in the ALDS in three games. They lost the ALCS to the Red Sox, four games to one.

Hinch and the Astros finished the 2019 season with 107 wins and 55 losses. The lost the World Series to the Washington Nationals.

Hinch was fired on January 13, 2020, when it was discovered that the Astros were guilty of sign stealing in 2017. He was banned from baseball for a year.

Hinch's record in five years as manager of the Astros is 481 wins to 329 losses.

Hinch was hired as the manager of the Tigers on October 30, 2020. He led the Tigers to a third place finish in the AL central division in 2021. The team had 77 wins and 85 losses.

Hinch's overall record in eight years of managing in the major leagues is 647 wins to 537 losses.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - A.J. Hinch
Baseball Reference - A.J. Hinch