Hernandez named pitching coach

[RockSports17]

The Tigers finalized their coaching staff under new manager Jim Leyland on Friday by hiring former Devil Rays pitching coach Chuck Hernandez to the same post in Detroit.

The move gives the Tigers an experienced coach to guide their relatively young pitching staff, something to which Hernandez can relate. His two years as pitching coach under Lou Piniella in Tampa Bay saw him work with similarly young arms, including prized starter Scott Kazmir, upon his arrival a season and a half ago.

Only two starters to record double-digit starts in Hernandez's two seasons for the Devil Rays were over 30 years old -- Mark Hendrickson and Hideo Nomo. The rest were either prospects or former prospects acquired from other organizations. The Devil Rays' staff ERA rose from 4.81 in 2004 to 5.39 this season, but improved to 4.80 after the All-Star break, more than a half-run lower than Detroit's 5.23 ERA in the season's second half.

Key to that improvement was the performance of Kazmir, who went 7-2 with a 2.79 ERA after the All-Star break to finish his first full Major League season with a 10-9 record and a 3.77 ERA. He and Hendrickson became the first Devil Rays since Rolando Arrojo in 1998 to record a winning record in a season with 30 or more starts.

Hernandez will face a similar task with the Tigers, who hadn't had two 14-game winners in the same year since 1997 until Jeremy Bonderman and Mike Maroth accomplished the feat this season. Bonderman just completed his third Major League season at age 22 with a 14-13 record, while Maroth finished with his first non-losing season after losing 21 games two years ago. Both are eligible for arbitration this winter. With Jason Johnson expected to leave as a free agent, the Tigers do not have a starting pitcher in his 30s, though that could change once the team begins shopping on the free-agent market this winter.

Beyond Maroth and Bonderman, Hernandez will oversee the development for left-hander Nate Robertson, coming off a frustrating 7-16 season he called the toughest in his career. Top prospects Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya also will fall under his care while they sit on the doorstep of the Tigers rotation. Fernando Rodney will try to settle in as Tigers closer, while Franklyn German and Chris Spurling hope to shore up roles behind him.

All of them spent the past three seasons under the tutelage of pitching coach Bob Cluck, who was one of manager Alan Trammell's first hirings and stayed until Trammell was dismissed at season's end. Cluck, ironically, predicted a year ago that this pitching staff would be ready to become the strength of the ballclub in 2006.

Hernandez had been in the Devil Rays system since 1997, signing on as a Minor League coach and serving six years as the system's pitching coordinator. Before that, he served as a coach for the Angels under managers Buck Rodgers and Marcel Lachemann. As a player, Hernandez pitched in the Yankees and White Sox farm systems until he suffered a broken left arm in the Instructional League in 1983.

Hernandez's hiring comes after another former Devil Ray turned down the Tigers. Detroit previously offered the job to Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild, who was Tampa Bay's first manager back in 1998. He turned down a contract offer last week and instead chose to stay in Chicago, starting the Tigers on a search that took about a week and a half.

Hernandez will be the only Tigers coach who doesn't have ties to Leyland from Pittsburgh. However, Hernandez was in the White Sox system at the same time that Leyland was a coach under then-Sox manager Tony La Russa.

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Sounds like a really good guy and hopefully he helps further our youngsters in a better rotation. Despite the bad stats of TBs pitching, but look at what he was given to work with down there. He really helped out Kazmir, so hopefully he can do the same thing for Bonderman and such.

[love_that_reefer]

Yikes! I wouldn't touch a former Drays pitching coach with a 398 ft pole.

[RockSports17]

Well like I said, he didn't have much to work with and the talent that he was given he made the best out of it. IE: Kazmir and Baez