LAKELAND, Fla. – Tigers manager AJ Hinch has a gift.
It’s his way of making players feel comfortable, whether it’s how he talks to them in the back of a plane or what he chooses to prioritize.
On Friday morning, Hinch called a special team meeting, and Spencer Turnbull gave Eric Haase a Rolex watch for catching his no-hitter. What a cool thing. Hinch turned it into a celebration, getting the team together to watch a video of the last inning against Seattle.
“I think it matters to a team,” Hinch said. “I think it somewhat galvanizes the team, the guys that were here, brings back great memories. The guys that aren’t here see that we celebrate very big accomplishments, so that was pretty cool.”
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It’s the kind of thing that creates the invisible connective tissue of a team.
But Hinch does it in other ways, too; you can see it in his handling of Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene. The two prospects are fighting to make this roster — and in other situations, under other managers, they might feel tremendous pressure. But not here.
Because Hinch has created an environment where they feel so comfortable. And it’s far easier to produce when you feel comfortable.
“If I had their talent, I’d be comfortable, too,” Hinch said.
There is a double message in that quote — Hinch is always sending messages. He’s telling them, “You are good, you belong here, just relax, have fun and go play baseball; you don’t have to do anything special, just be yourself.”
And that’s what they did on Friday.
Greene started in right field and batted second — in front of Miguel Cabrera. Yes, that feels epic already. Greene responded by hitting a home run.
Torkelson started at first base — he looks far more comfortable at first, like somebody putting on a pair of old jeans — and, in the fourth inning, he hit a laser into left field, turning it into a double.
“Got it out of the way,” Torkelson joked, as he walked into the clubhouse.
Torkelson needs this start more than anybody. He struggled in 2021’s spring training, looking indecisive at the plate. He got just one hit in 27 at-bats, with 16 strikeouts, during an excruciating spring training.
But that seems like a long time ago. He climbed all the way to Triple-A Toledo, hitting 30 home runs across three levels in the minors.
“We’re always rooting for each other,“ Greene said of Torkelson. “It’s awesome to see.”
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‘Have fun and work hard’
On Thursday, I asked Tigers general manager Al Avila a question: “You’ve seen Tork and Greene for a month. What do you need to see from them in spring training for them to make this club?”
“That’s a very good question,” he said. “The thing is, we ask that of ourselves. I’ll be sitting there with AJ and our staff: ‘OK, what are we looking for?’ We all know that spring training can be tricky. Both guys are very mature in the way they prepare for each game. I think they learned a lot last year being a full season, in particular for Torkelson. I can’t tell you exactly what we’re going to be looking for. But we’ll know it when we see it.”
If you ask me, we already are seeing it.
It’s how Torkelson and Greene act in the clubhouse and carry themselves — like they belong.
It’s how they are handling the pressure — like it’s not even there.
And it’s how they looked on the field Friday — comfortable and productive.
“I feel a lot more comfortable,” Greene said. “Last year, didn’t really know anyone, I was kind of the odd guy out.”
I know, it’s just one game. And in normal situations, nothing is ever decided by one game.
Then again, there are only 19 games in this shortened spring training, which means one game does carry more weight than normal.
“There’s always gonna be pressure, but our philosophy is go out there and have fun and work hard,” Greene said.
See that?
The players are repeating Hinch’s words in interviews.
Words that give them the map to be comfortable.
And yes, that’s by design.
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Adjusting at hyperspeed
This is a hyperspeed spring training because of the delay caused by MLB’s lockout. The Tigers had just four days to prepare for Friday’s opener, when there’s usually 10 days of prep time.
So the Tigers were doing cutoff drills and relays on the field before the game — it’s like they are cramming into an entire spring training into three weeks.
Which is exactly what they are doing.
It’s wild.
But there are so many encouraging signs.
After one game, Torkelson and Greene look comfortable. They look like they are ready for the majors right now.
Darn near every pitcher has shown up in game-ready mode. Give them credit for that.
And Akil Baddoo started off like last year, crushing the ball with a no-doubter home run Friday.
“He was comfortable in year one, I’d expect him to be comfortable in year two,” Hinch said. “And he knew he got it.”
Everything just feels right about this team.
But the most touching moment on Friday was how they honored Kimera Bartee, last year’s first base coach who died during the offseason at 49.
They gave him a moment of silence and the public address announcer said some nice words: “Remembering the immediate impact Bartee had on the team in 2021, while in Lakeland in 2021, Tigers manager AJ Hinch said, ‘From the start of spring training last year, it was clear that KB was the epitome of a players’ coach, having an uncanny ability to build deep connections with anyone from a rookie to a 10-year veteran.”
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It was touching and classy.
But that quote also reveals something about Hinch, about what he values: “an uncanny ability to develop deep connections.”
That line could describe Hinch. It’s why Torkelson and Greene have started off looking so comfortable, and why I expect them to make this club.
It all stems from the same place.
The culture Hinch has created on this team.
From a Rolex watch to post-game quotes.
It’s all connected.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff.