DETROIT -- The last time the Tigers hired a manager, their analytics department consisted of one person in baseball operations. Now, the department has grown to eight, and it is headquartered two doors down from general manager Al Avila's office at Comerica Park. When Ron Gardenhire came through before his introductory press conference Friday, he couldn't help but see it.
"They sent me in there right away," Gardenhire joked. "Al said, 'I want you to meet these guys and girls.'"
Considering Gardenhire's reputation as an old-school manager, and some of his previous comments about analytics while he managed the Twins, he wasn't going to pass by without introducing himself.