During eight seasons with the Tigers, Jim Leyland had it figured out. He managed the club to three division titles, two AL pennants and 700 wins -- 725 if you count the playoffs.
And what does he think of Detroit's new manager A.J. Hinch, who managed the Astros to three division titles and two AL pennants during five seasons in Houston?
"He’s got it figured out," Leyland said Friday on the Stoney & Jansen Show.
Leyland spent a good deal of time around Hinch and the Tigers during spring training in his role as a special assistant to GM Al Avila. He said he was impressed by Hinch's "detailed, organized" camp and came away "looking for much better things this year from the Tigers."
"I think he set a good tone for the ballcub," Leyland said.
In Leyland's eyes, one of Hinch's best moves came before camp even began: letting it be known that he was going to play Miguel Cabrera at first base.
"I think that pumped Miggy up a little bit, I think it gave him a new life on the season possibly," Leyland said. "That was a good move on (Hinch's) part. A.J. is a very smart guy and he figures things out. He deals with players straightforward, head up, no BS and tells them the way that it is and what they gotta do to get better.
"I think it’s going to be a good fit for Hinch and a very, very good fit for the Tigers."
That move paid off in Thursday's season opener when Cabrera, getting his first start in the field since 2019, hit a two-run homer in the first, then saved a run and snuffed out a potential Indians rally by flashing the leather in the fourth.
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The Tigers beat the Indians 3-2 in a feel-good day at Comerica Park. Between the arrival of Hinch and his coaching staff, the addition of a few veterans in free agency and the maturation of the club's young arms, maybe it was a sign of things to come this season in Detroit.
"You can just kind of tell in the attitude, the excitement," Leyland said. "And then bringing up the young pitchers, we're starting to see some of the progress from them. So things are looking up. We’re not home free yet by any means, but I think the Tigers are going to play good baseball."