Detroit Tigers Coach Being Considered For Chicago White Sox Managerial Position
The Detroit Tigers have a bright future ahead of them.
After foiling in mediocrity, and worse, during their prolonged rebuilding phase, they were able to reap the fruits of their labor when they turned the keys to the franchise over to their young players and star prospects, something that resulted in a magical run to Game 5 of the ALDS.
With their roster full of rising stars at multiple positions, the Tigers finally look like they're coming out on the other side of this rebuild smelling like roses.
Manager A.J. Hinch has done a tremendous job since taking over this role ahead of the 2021 season, never finishing last in the division and improving the team's record each of the last three years.
The World Series champion is the right person to lead this young group, and he's hoping he'll be able to keep his current staff in place for a long time so they can help get this crop of players into contention in the upcoming seasons.
However, there might be a foil to those plans.
According to Chris McCosky of The Detroit News, bench coach George Lombard is on the list of candidates that Chicago White Sox general manager, Chris Getz, is considering to become the next manager of their franchise.
Lombard was a second round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 1994. He had a sporadic six-year playing career in the Majors where he appeared in 144 games from 1998-2006 that included a stint with Detroit.
He officially retired from baseball after 2009 and immediately moved into coaching by taking the hitting coach job of the Boston Red Sox's Single-A affiliate. Since then, he's held a litany of coaching and managerial roles in Major League Baseball, but he's still in search of his first manager job in The Show.
This isn't the first time Lombard has been considered by teams around the MLB to become their skipper.
The Tigers were considering their former player for their open managerial job before ultimately going with Hinch, and with him playing a huge role in the game-planning, development, and base-running of this team, it seems like only a matter of time before he does get that coveted job.
Losing Lombard would be a major blow to Hinch and this Detroit team, but it would be great for his career if he does take over an open vacancy at some point.
Whether or not that comes this offseason, and with Detroit's division rival, will be seen, but he certainly will be on the radar of teams going forward.
