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Good news, Leyland haters: the Tigers will have a new hitting coach next season. According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, Lloyd McClendon has accepted an offer to become the new manager of the Seattle Mariners.
#Mariners will name Detroit Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon as their new manager, a source close to team says. Announcement soon.
— PSBJ News (@PSBJ) November 5, 2013
Hey, Lookout Landing says they're legit, so they're legit. Jon Heyman also thinks the PSBJ -- that acronym is dangerously close to PB&J, I might add -- is legit, as he confirmed the news a short time later.
McClendon has served as the Tigers' hitting coach since the start of the 2007 season under former manager Jim Leyland. In that time, the Tigers ranked first in the American League in batting average, third in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging average, and fourth in total runs scored. He served as the Tigers' bullpen coach during the 2006 season.
Prior to joining the Tigers, McClendon was the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates for five seasons. He didn't have the luxury of working with the same type of talent he has had in Detroit, and his teams compiled a 336-446 record. He was fired in September of 2005 just before the end of the season.
McClendon's departure ensures that at least one holdover from Jim Leyland's staff will not be joining Brad Ausmus and the Tigers during the 2014 season. Gene Lamont will return as the team's bench coach, while rumors suggest that Jeff Jones will return as pitching coach.
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