McClendon hired to manage Tigers' Triple-A affiliate
Lloyd McClendon wasn't out of the coaching game long.
The former Seattle Mariners skipper was hired by the Detroit Tigers organization on Monday to manage their Triple-A affiliate in Toledo.
"I'm as excited about this opportunity as I was about the opportunity in Seattle, because I got a chance to be impactful in a very positive way on some young players, and I live my life that way," McClendon told Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. "I live my life in the manner that I try to make an impact on your people, and I think this gives me a chance to expand on that."
This will be the second stint for the 56-year-old with the Tigers, having once acted as the team's bullpen coach, followed by an eventual promotion to hitting coach in 2007. A Tigers player won the American League batting title in four of McClendon's seven seasons in the position.
With reported rumors surfacing in September that manager Brad Ausmus was to be fired, Detroit's move to add an experienced manager such as McClendon to the organization appears to make sense.
The Tigers finished last in the AL Central under Ausmus, with a 74-87 record in 2015.
McClendon was dismissed from his role as manager in Seattle on Oct. 9 after the Mariners finished an underwhelming 76-86.