I genuinely like having A.J.
Hinch as a manager.
I wish he was given better rosters, but they can win with him.
He’s level-headed, intelligent, and analytically minded.
He’s done a masterful job managing the bullpen every year that he’s been in Detroit.
This is not some anti-Hinch blog.
Hinch to be fired.
That isn’t the case.
Hinch has not failed the Tigers.
The Tigers have failed him.
The man is addicted to playing matchups.
On paper, I have no problem with this.
I encourage it in most instances.
never plays him against left-handed pitching.
Kerry Carpenter is a name that most people in baseball probably haven’t heard of.
He hasn’t had to deal with a lot of growing pains.
He’s a good Major League hitter, far and away the best this pathetic offense offers.
Everyone can tell that the team is different when he’s in the lineup.
Everyone except for A.J.
Keep in mind, I have ZERO issues with any manager playing the matchups.
There are still many instances in which going with your gut matters.
is trying to be logical and avoid the lefty-on-lefty matchups.
But his logic doesn’t make sense when you look at the other players on this roster.
Kerry Carpenter has only had 38 plate appearances against lefties in his Major League career.
He has a .257 batting average at a .744 OPS.
Those aren’t incredible numbers, but I feel like that’s par for the course.
He’s hit two home runs off of lefties as well.
He’s only had 12 plate appearances against lefties this year, but his OPS is over 1.000.
The same can’t be said about other players on the team.
Yesterday, Carpenter sat to start the game.
Eric Haase played left field, Carpenter’s usual position.
Haase has 57 plate appearances against lefties this year.
His OPS is .466.
Jonathan Schoop gets consistent at-bats against lefties.
His OPS against them this season is .611.
Javier Baez attempts to play baseball almost every day in the heart of the Tigers lineup.
His OPS against lefties this year is .591.
None of these guys get punished or sit out against left-handed pitching.
He’s in his second year.
He needs to learn.
Are you going to give those at-bats to Schoop?
Jonathan Schoop is essentially Milton from “Office Space” at this point.
He works for the Tigers, but people need to learn what he does.
So what am I missing?
I feel like I’m talking crazy pills.
If I thought A.J.
But I know this guy is a good manager.
Maybe you throw Carpenter out there, and he never learns how to square up lefties.
