Pitching coach Rick Knapp fired by Detroit Tigers – MLB News
Detroit Tigers stunned pitching coach Rick Knapp on Sunday by firing him after what was indeed a week of some of the worst blowouts in the franchise. Failing to infuse energy and workable tactic in the pitchers cost Knapp his job.
After losing the game to San Francisco Giants by 15-3 and 5-1 to Los Angeles Angels, it seemed a big decision was in the offing. The overhaul, for the Tigers, was in the termination of Knapp from his responsibilities with the pitching staff.
"We had a couple of really bad series,” Knapp said. “We just got waxed by the Mets a couple of games and we got waxed by the Giants the night before. It's just the ebb and flow and the highs and lows of a season and the pressure of trying to win.”
Detroit holds the second spot in the American League Central with 45 wins and 41 loses, maintaining a .523 PCT record. It was the recent blows that have set off worry in the camp.
Provided the Tigers lose in the same pace, they will go behind the Chicago White Sox which rank third with 43 wins. They only need two wins to edge past the seemingly struggling Tigers.
While the move not only shell-shocked the pitching coach who was serving since 2008, it was a stun of astonishment for the Tigers’ players as well. Alex Avila said he would miss Knap for being someone who he considered to be great and respected.
As Knap has been shown the door now, Jeff Jones, the Tigers’ relatively well-known bull-pen coach, will soon take over. Since he got drafted by Oakland Athletics in 1977, Jones has been pitching or coaching the pitchers alike since 1977.
"Jeff Jones has been part of our organization for a long time," said Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski after he fired Knapp. "He's very knowledgeable. He knows all the pitchers. He's been a loyal employee for a long time and we know he will step up
and do a solid job."
Once Jones formally starts working as the pitching coach, Mike Rojas will join the Tigers as the bull-pen coach. For years, Rojas has remained a part and parcel of the Tigers as a minor-league field coordinator.
With all the turbulence that has beset the Tigers recently with relatively inexplicable inconsistency, the major shuffle may set the stage either for the improvement of the team, or at worst, deterioration. It will be interesting to see how the team manages
to adjust to the abrupt changes.
The team coach as a whole expects a refreshing change that will come with the arrival of Jones and Rojas as the two combine experience and strategy to deal with the situation.
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