In his first three seasons leading the Tigers. A.J. Hinch may have kept three of the players he cut last week. He wouldn't have had to think twice about a healthy young pitcher like Matt Manning, who held hitters to a .140 average over five starts this spring.
Instead, Hinch sent Manning to Toledo, the hard-luck loser in a fight for the final two rotation spots won by Reese Olson and Casey Mize.
"It was grueling," Hinch said Thursday on 97.1 The Ticket ahead of the Tigers' season-opener against the White Sox, "because you feel like someone should have to eliminate themselves more than anyone did. We want those tough decisions."
Hinch had to make two more of them in cutting Beau Brieske, who was beaten out by Alex Faedo and Joey Wentz for a spot in the bullpen, and Ryan Kreidler, who lost out to a group of more established players in the infield.
"Those conversations suck," Hinch said. "There's no other way around it. It's hard to deliver the news that, 'Hey, you're good enough to pitch in the big leagues, you're good enough with what you've done, but we're going to choose to start the season with a configuration that doesn't include you.'
"We gotta own it as an organization that you gotta have tough decisions. Matt Manning, and Beau Brieske in the bullpen, were two that quite honestly could've gone the other way and we would have had a perfect reasoning behind that as well."
Manning allowed just eight hits and racked up 19 strikeouts in 16 innings; he also allowed six homers. Brieske allowed three hits and didn't surrender a run in seven appearances out of the bullpen. Kreidler went 11-for-36 (.306) at the plate and played his typically stellar defense at shortstop.
Mize and Olson were just as good as Manning, and the former has first-overall pedigree. As well as Brieske pitched, Faedo was in some ways even better, while Wentz -- who's out of minor league options -- is attractive as a lefty out of the pen. Kreidler mostly fell victim to the Javy Baez barricade at shortstop.
"I think it shows the depth of our organization is in a good place and the competition for our team, which we said at the beginning of camp was going to be hard," Hinch said. "And multiple things can exist at the same time. One, you can do your part and prepare and show well, and still not make the team. And that's not how it's been in my years here. It's been a little bit of an easier team to make in years past, so hopefully that's contributing to us turning the corner and bringing a winning team to the city of Detroit."
Kreidler, 26, did not hide his disappointment in being left off the Opening Day roster, telling reporters in Lakeland, "I think I should have made the team." And if the Tigers weren't paying Baez more than $23 million per year to play short, he probably would have. Kreidler can also play third base, where he was the Tigers' starter on Opening Day last year, but Hinch is rolling with a platoon of Andy Ibañez, Gio Urshela, Zach McKinstry and Matt Vierling out of the gate.
Asked about Kreidler's frustration in not making the team, Hinch said, "I more than like it -- I love it. These guys need that confidence that they belong, especially for a player with limited experience like Kreidler. To be firm in his confidence, I love it. We need that vibe and that reaction because I know he's going to go down and put the work together."
"He's gotta continue to hit," said Hinch. "He hit well in spring. There weren't a lot of spots open for competition on the position player side. He has strong arguments -- he's a good defender, his swing is starting to come together. But it's a competitive business. We have some veteran guys that are ahead of him. We know he can fill in whenever he's needed, but he still has to work to be the best player available when an opportunity opens up. We need
"At this time last year, Andy Ibañez was not on this team. He had to go down, he crushed in April, he found his way back to the big leagues and now he's starting on Opening Day for us. So things can happen fast. The anxiety and stress and tension that comes with Opening Day leads to a lot of frustration for those that are players 27, 28, 29, 30 (on the roster). Kreids is one of those, and when he comes up we need him to be ready."
