A.J. Hinch The Youngest Manager In Baseball
May 12, 2009 – 7:15 am by Lance Zimmerman
I guess being named the Manger of the Year doesn’t buy you much job security these days. Bob Melvin, National League’s Manger of the Year in 2007, has been let go due to the Arizona Diamondbacks not living up to expectations 1/5th of the way through the MLB season. Former MLB catcher A.J. Hinch will take the reigns and hopefully right what some people feel Bob Melvin wronged.
Hinch has no previous managerial experience. Most recently, he was working in the Diamondback’s front office as the Director of Player Personnel. Hinch is a youthful 34 years of age which might help in reaching some of the younger players such as Chris, Young, Connor Jackson, and Mark Reynolds, both of whom have underachieved thus far in 2009.
The anti-Hinch people feel that he’s merely a puppet for General Manager Josh Byrnes. Hinch doesn’t seem to be bothered by this, but if the move doesn’t work out, he and Byrnes both could be on their way out of the desert. A.J. Hinch joined last Friday to discuss his recent promotion.
A.J. was asked about his baseball experience that led him from the front office to the dugout:
“It’s interesting what three or four years can do to you. Three or four years ago when I came off the field, I was a baseball guy, a guy who’s played my whole life. As a front office employee the baseball experience seemed to be a separator for me, as far as the opportunity opening up. Now as I come full circle, to have that experience question is natural, but at the same time I’ve got to tell you I’m more comfortable in a uniform today than I probably ever have been.”
On his philosophy to get some of the younger players to perform up to expectations:
“I think the simple message of delivering exact messages of goal setting, of understanding our approach and what we’re trying to accomplish. Certainly having two different voices in here has a placebo effect. Other times, you have to try new things and be creative. Maybe things they haven’t done since A ball, in terms of drill work they’ve done, in terms of communication, in terms of studying and classroom setting stuff. Things that are fundamental in the batters box more times than not entirely mental. Getting that swagger back, that confidence, I think you fix the person first and how they react to adversity and then the performance can catch up.”
A.J. was asked to counter the detractors of his hiring that claim he’s a puppet for General Manager Josh Byrnes (note: this was before his first game as a manger):
“When you’re standing where I’m going to be standing in a couple of hours and impacting the players or making decisions and things of that nature, it’s really hard to feel like a puppet. I am certainly making decisions on my own.”
Listen to A.J. Hinch on KTAR in Phoenix with Gambo & Ash
Tags: A.J. Hinch, Arizona Diamondbacks, baseball interviews, Bob Melvin, Bob Melvin fired, MLB
