| Detroit Free Press
Watch: Detroit Tigers introduce AJ Hinch as manager
Detroit Tigers owner Christopher Ilitch and GM Al Avila introduce new manager AJ Hinch, Oct. 30, 2020.
Although Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch added a new face in pitching coach Chris Fetter, he is keeping two of the organization’s rising stars in the coaching industry around for the 2021 season.
Hinch is retaining third base coach Ramon Santiago and quality control Josh Paul — both members of former manager Ron Gardenhire’s staff — in the same roles moving forward under his leadership, the Tigers announced Friday.
Also, Hinch hired Juan Nieves as his assistant pitching coach. Fetter, who spent the last three seasons at Michigan baseball, replaces Rick Anderson. Nieves has been Triple-A Toledo’s pitching coach for the last two seasons.
“We felt that adding Juan and bringing back Josh and Ramon to our staff was important for many reasons,” said Hinch in a press release Friday. “They know these Tigers players better than almost anyone, and I’m excited to have them on board to help us win ballgames. Their experience and commitment to innovation are exactly what we are looking for in coaches for this staff, and we’re looking forward to completing the remainder of the staff soon.”
[ Tigers hire Michigan baseball’s Chris Fetter as pitching coach ]
Santiago, 41, played 13 seasons in the majors, including from 2002-03 and 2006-13 for the Tigers. His MLB career ended in 2014 with the Cincinnati Reds — with a walk-off grand slam as his final at-bat. A broken collarbone in spring training the next year as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays forced him to retire.
He came back to baseball with the Tigers in 2018 as the first base coach and served in that role in 2019. Before the 2020 season, he moved to third base.
Santiago is considered the pathway between the analytical department and the team’s on-field actions. Last season, the Tigers shifted 50.5% of the time, second-most in the majors. With Hinch’s focus on analytics, it’s no surprise Santiago is sticking with the Tigers.
[ How a third-base coach is shaping the Tigers’ future ]
Paul, 45, played nine years in the majors and has plenty of coaching experience, including the 2020 season as the Tigers’ quality control coach. He joined the coaching ranks with the New York Yankees in 2008 and was the minor-league catching coordinator from 2014-17.
The Los Angeles Angels had Paul as their bench coach from 2018-19 before the Tigers swooped in. When Gardenhire suddenly retired in September, bench coach Lloyd McClendon was promoted to interim manager.
And Paul became the interim bench coach.
Evan Petzold is a sports reporting intern at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.