Tigers considering Pedro Grifol for managerial position

Detroit Tigers’ general manager Al Avila is casting a wide net in his exhaustive search for a new manager. The names of former major league managers such as Fredi Gonzalez and Ron Gardenhire have been tossed about. Major league coaches such as Mike Redmond, Joe McEwing and Dino Ebil have drawn interest. Now, there is another relatively lesser known coach in the mix.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported Monday that the Tigers are considering Pedro Grifol, the current Kansas City Royals’ catching instructor, in their extensive search for a new manager. Grifol has been in that position with the Royals since the 2014 season, and before that, he served as the team’s major league hitting coach.

Prior to his tenure with the Royals, Grifol was with the Seattle Mariners’ organization for 13 seasons, including assignments as a minor league manager and as director of minor league operations. As a player, Grifol was drafted by the Minnesota Twins and spent nine seasons in their organization from 1991 to 1999 without being called up to the major leagues.

The Tigers’ last two managers, Jim Leyland and Brad Ausmus were also former catchers. Avila said that the search would "ideally" be wrapped up in late October.