DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers will shuffle some coaching roles for 2020 but bring back manager Ron Gardenhire’s staff largely intact after a 114-loss season in 2019.
The only departure is Steve Liddle, 60, who served as Gardenhire’s bench coach for the last two years. Liddle, who also served on Gardenhire’s staff in Minnesota, is retiring.
Hitting coach Lloyd McClendon, who has seven seasons of managerial experience, will take over Liddle’s role as bench coach. The bench coach typically serves as the manager’s closest adviser and takes over leadership duties when the manager is ejected.
Joe Vavra, another longtime Gardenhire assistant, will become the new hitting coach after serving as quality control coach for the last two seasons. In his quality control role, Vavra handled data, analytics and shift information. Gardenhire has said the organization will expand the role of analytics in hitting in 2020. He previously served as hitting coach for the Twins.
In other moves, first base coach Ramon Santiago will move to third base. Longtime third base coach Dave Clark will shift to first.
Clark will continue handling outfielders while Santiago tutors infielders.
Other roles will remain the same: assistant hitting coach Phil Clark, pitching coach Rick Anderson and bullpen coach Jeff Pico.
Gardenhire is under contract for one more season and had supported his coaches in end-of-season conversations with general manager Al Avila.
“They’re tireless workers,” Gardenhire said of his staff. “Our hitting guys are in the cage every day, doing their stuff, using as much of the new tools as we have. Santiago’s been relentless on hitting ground balls and doing drills. Joe’s in there, doing these charts and Steve’s in there telling everybody what to do and how to do it. Pico out in the bullpen keeps those guys straight. I’m in here, filling out the lineup and talking to you guys while they’re out there getting it done. As a manager, you have to have a good staff.”
Gardenhire said Avila understands how hard the coaches work.
“He gets it. He’s been in baseball a long, long time,” Gardenhire said. “But he’s not just going to say, ‘I think you guys did great.’ We’re all in this together. We all have to take a little (blame) on ourselves. But Al does understand that these guys put in the effort, they put in the work.”