AJ Hinch

I have liked this hire from the beginning, and I like it better every day.  He and Fetters have done wonders for this team, and for individual pitchers, including Fulmer, Funk, JJ, and others.  I think his utilization of Rogers and Haase has been a master-stroke, and contributed very significantly to the team's turnaround.  Kudos of course to AA for acquiring Haase, and to the development staff for whatever they did to assist Rogers in fixing his swing/approach to make him a serviceable hitter.

Even when they were losing in April, I could not bring myself to criticize him much, given what he had to work with, and he seemed very self-possessed throughout.  

Hinch has a very professional and engaging style, and it seems to me that he wields effective influence with AA and with ownership.  I have heard his interviews on the radio and elsewhere, and he speaks very comfortably about his relationship with AA and with Chris, and specifically what he is expecting from himself and his staff, and from their collaboration.  This really reminds me of how Leyland would talk about his relationship with management, it seemed confident and bi-lateral, the way an effective manager should talk and act.  Leyland had more swagger and "color", if you will, whereas Hinch just seems like a no-drama guy.

A great hire by AA, big-time kudos to him for this decision.  I have always felt that you cannot evaluate a GM or Manager in isolation of each other.  They have to work as a unit, and these two so far seem to be doing so, and effectively.  To quote Mr. Neutron: as Napoleon had his Josephine, as Tarzan had his Jane, as Frankie Laine had whoever he had...