It's been a busy offseason for AJ Hinch, who was hired by the Tigers in October and has been spent the past several weeks getting to know his new players. He started with guys like Miguel Cabrera and Matthew Boyd and worked his way down the roster.
"It's conversations, it’s texts, it’s reaching out on WhatsApp to (Isaac) Paredes who’s playing in Mexico," Hinch said Monday during an interview on Sirius XM MLB Network Radio. "I’m trying to find a way to say hello to everybody because the days of the manager just showing up in spring training are long gone.
"This a 365-24/7 type of job in the way I go about it."
Part of the reason Hinch wanted to reach out right away was to clear the air about his time in Houston. To let the players know his past doesn't affect their future. He said he was particularly impressed with the response he got from Niko Goodrum.
"The feedback on me personally is everyone’s really excited to be in the trenches together. Niko Goodrum said something to me that was incredible -- he just wants me to make him better. That type of thirst for getting better is a critical mindset going into what we’re trying to do," Hinch said.
Goodrum has a knack for reaching managers. When Ron Gardenhire retired toward the end of last season, Goodrum gave him a signed jersey inscribed with a personal message that Gardenhire said he'll "never, ever forget." Now he's ready to get to work with Hinch.
There's a lot of work to be done.
While Goodrum excelled at shortstop last season, that job belongs to youngster Willi Castro entering 2021. And Goodrum is coming off a down year at the plate, the worst of his three-year stint in Detroit. He hit .184 with a .598 OPS, after coming in at .247/.745 over his first two seasons.
He turns 29 in February. The Tigers have more young position players on the way. In short, Goodrum is running out of time to prove he's part of the team's future.
Hinch called him an "all-everything type of player (who) can play just about every position." Goodrum will likely start next season at second base. How long he stays there remains to be seen.
For Hinch, the pace of the past couple months has been a welcome change after a year on the sidelines due to his suspension from Major League Baseball.
"It’s been fun, it’s been exhausting," he said. "But I hope that we get somewhat of a normal spring training moving forward, fans get back in the stands, we get baseball back to where it’s supposed to be -- and then ultimately the wins in Detroit."
Hinch wants the last step in that process to begin right away.
"We want to win. Bottom line is the mindset has to change and we have to start talking about winning soon, and now," Hinch said. "Everybody wants improvement. Chris Ilitch and Al (Avila) both said that to me in my interview.
"We’re not conceding our season, or the Central, or anything. We can surprise a lot of people by taking steps forward in certain areas."