Cincinnati Reds: Brad Ausmus’ record should not be held against him

The Cincinnati Reds are said to have zeroed in on three to four candidates to become their next manager. Is Brad Ausmus the right fit to be the next skipper?

Several reports came out yesterday saying that both Joe Girardi and David Bell made it to the second round of interviews with the Cincinnati Reds for their vacant managerial position. However, another candidate who was interviewed, Brad Ausmus, was mentioned in the same breath with Girardi and Bell.

Brad Ausmus managed the Detroit Tigers from 2014 – 2017. In those four seasons, Ausmus compiled a record of 314-332 (.486). Ausmus had a trip to the postseason in 2014 and a 90-plus loss season in 2017 sandwiched around two seasons of a combined 160-162 (.497). The Tigers were swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2014 ALDS.

Ausmus took over for a Detroit team that went to the American League Championship Series the previous season under the leadership of Jim Leyland. Leyland had guided the Tigers to the World Series in 2012 when they lost to the San Francisco Giants in a 4-game sweep.

Now, before people lose their minds and question why a manager with a sub-.500 record should even be considered, take a deep breath. Don’t forget that Dave Dombrowski left the Tigers following his release in 2015. He was then picked up by the Boston Red Sox. Is it any coincidence that Boston has had back-to-back winning since Dombrowski was brought on board?

In 2016, the Tigers finished 86-75 and just a few games behind the Wild Card winners Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. Oh, by the way, that season they finished two games better than Girardi and the New York Yankees.

The following season in Detroit was a disaster. Miguel Cabrera went from hitting .316 with 108 RBIs to hitting .249 with 60 RBIs. Ian Kinsler, who played at an All-Star level in 2016 (6.0 WAR) came back to earth in 2017 (2.1 WAR).

The pitching suffered as well. Justin Verlander and Michael Fulmer both saw their ERAs increase and Jordan Zimmerman saw his skyrocket. As a team, the Tigers ERA went from 4.28 in 2016 to 5.39 in 2017.

While it’s easy to point to those stats as reasons not to hire Ausmus, let’s remember that the manager just puts the players in position to succeed. He doesn’t throw the pitch and he doesn’t swing the bat. While there is no doubt that some of the Tigers’ shortcomings can be laid at the feet of Ausmus, it’s unfair to dump all of it.

Ausmus doesn’t just have the Reds attention. He is currently the special assistant to the general manager for the Los Angeles Angels and was recently interviewed by LA as well. The other two candidates mentioned in Ken Rosenthal’s tweet are up for other jobs as well.

Ausmus is a well-respected former catcher who spent 18 years in the Major Leagues. Ausmus may not be the Cincinnati Reds first choice, but don’t let his sub-.500 record as a manager fool you into thinking he’s not a valid candidate.