The Detroit Tigers were arguably the most surprising team in Major League Baseball in 2024 as they finished with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses.
Although they finished in third place in the American League Central, the Tigers made their first postseason appearance since 2014 and beat the Houston Astros in the wild card series.
They eventually fell to the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Division Series in five games, but just making the postseason was a success for the organization.
MLB Analyst Tom Verducci was asked if Tiger’s Manager A.J. Hinch has the most momentum heading into award season as favorite for AL Manager of the Year.
“He’s got to be,” Verducci said.
The Tigers won 24 of their last 34 games in the regular season and exceeded expectations in a big way in 2024.
Is A.J. Hinch the favorite for AL Manager of the Year? pic.twitter.com/0eRkMq20ay
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 17, 2024
Hinch has been the Manager of the Tigers since 2021 after spending time Managing the Astros from 2015-2019 and the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2009-2010.
With the Astros, Hinch won two American League Pennants and one World Series title, so he has proven he knows how to win.
Hinch was able to lead the Tigers to the postseason for the first time in the last ten seasons, and this was after a bad start to the season.
At the All-Star break, the Tigers had a ton of ground to make up just to get into the playoff picture, but they ended the season winning 24 of their last 34 games to clinch a wild-card spot.
The Tigers are a young team with a very low payroll as their highest-paid player is Javier Baez, and he was injured during the end of the season run.
Hinch and the Tigers will look to make the postseason again in 2025 and continue their hot streak that they ended the 2024 season with.
NEXT:
Tarik Skubal Gets Honest About Tigers’ Playoff Run This Season
