Dombrowki's Repeated Mistakes Become Tigers' Biggest Flaw [BLOG]. Who Would've Been Better?

By: Mike Feld
@iammikefeld

Ron Gardenhire. Ron Washington. Kirk Gibson.

These names, among others, stick out among Tigers fans as obvious candidates to fill the not-at-all vacant managerial position currently held by Brad Ausmus.

It's tough to blame fans for throwing out those names; Ausmus' rookie campaign as a skipper was most certainly viewed as a failure.

Few should really be surprised, however. It's clear now Ausmus wasn't the best candidate to take over a team with World Series aspirations.

But who was? Last season's crop of managerial candidates was underwhelming at best. The most obvious choice, with the benefit of hindsight, may have been current Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon. Everyone knows how fans would have reacted if Lloyd was offered the Tigers gig last winter.

Fans no doubt have a case if they'd like to see Ausmus removed from his current position, but what's the better choice? Gardenhire and Gibson were relieved of their duties for a reason. As for Washington, the baggage and personal issues are not needed in the Detroit clubhouse.

So if Ausmus were to be replaced, it would be up to Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski to once again make a savvy and unsuspecting hire.

Don't hold your breath.

When Leyland retired, there were a handful of skeptics who pointed to Dombrowski's less than stellar performance when hiring a manager not named Jim Leyland.

The list is worse than you might think.

Let's take a look at the six managers Dave Dombrowski has hired in his 26 years as big league GM:

Tom Runnells: In 1991 – his fourth season with the Expos – Dombrowski fired then-manager Buck Rogers midseason in favor of Runnells, who was a successful minor league manage in the Montreal system. He led the team to 51-61 record before Dombrowski bolted for Florida. Runnells went 17-20 in 1992 before he was fired. He never managed in the majors again.

Rene Lachemann: Granted, Dombrowski was put in charge of an expansion team, but his was a doomed hire from the start. Lachemann joined DD in Florida for the Marlins' inaugural season in 1993, but the retread (he had failed stints in Seattle and Milwaukee) never had any success. He never won more than 67 games and was released in the middle of the 1996 season. He managed just one more time – a one-game stint with the Cubs in 2002.

John Boles: Dombrowski's right-hand man in the front office, Boles left the box for the dugout after Lachemann was fired mid-season. Boles got the Marlins in the right direction, going 40-35, but Dombrowski and the team elected to make a splash by hiring Leyland before the 1997 season. After Leyland left to take over Colorado in 1999, Boles once again took over managerial duties. He had two losing seasons and was finally fired in May 2001. He never managed again.

Tony Perez: Dombrowski replaced his former right-hand man with his then-current right-hand man in Perez. The Marlins finished 76-86. Dombrowski left the following season to take over the Tigers. Perez remained in the Marlins organization, but was replaced as skipper. He never managed again.

Luis Pujols: It's hard to forget Dombrowski's quick trigger when he arrived in Detroit, firing manager Phil Gardner and GM Randy Smith in the first week of the 2002 season. It's easy to forget Pujols, who guided the Tigers to a 55-100 record. He was fired at the end of the season. Although he's bounced around as a minor league manager, he never managed in the big leagues again.

Alan Trammell: Fans never want to say bad things about Tram, but this was an ugly period. Trammell won just 187 games in three years and oversaw the second worst season in baseball history – the infamous 119-loss 2003 season. Trammell bounced around as a big league coach, but has never managed again. He was fired as Gibby's bench coach in Arizona at the end of this past regular season.

It's not difficult to see why Tiger fans would like a new hire as manager, but be careful what you ask for. While Ausmus is certainly not off the hook, the issue might not be the manager.

It might be the person hiring the manager.