Lloyd McClendon returns as manager of the Toledo Mud Hens. | Facebook/Toledo Mud Hens
Lloyd McClendon returns as manager of the Toledo Mud Hens. | Facebook/Toledo Mud Hens
Lloyd McClendon is rejoining the Detroit Tigers organization, as he was recently named head coach of Toledo, Detroit’s Triple-A affiliate.
“I am looking forward to returning to Toledo and working with the Tigers in a developmental role,” McClendon said in a statement posted on mlb.com. “Fifth Third Field is a tremendous ballpark, and Toledo has some of the most passionate baseball fans in all of Minor League baseball. It is something that I really enjoyed being around in 2016 and am looking forward to that once again.”
McClendon will replace Gary Jones, the mlb.com report said. Jones had been hired about two months ago to manage the Mud Hens, but an unexpected opening in Detroit resulted in his promotion to the Bigs as a first-base coach. Jones will take the place of Kimera Bartee, who died suddenly in December.
McClendon, 63, is no stranger to the Tigers' organization. He coached under three managers in Detroit, including Jim Leyland, who had been McCLendon’s manager when he was a player in Pittsburgh. McClendon managed the Mud Hens in 2016, then went back to the Majors to be a hitting coach under Brad Ausmus in Detroit. He moved up to Bench Coach and even served a brief stint as the Tigers’ interim manager in 2020.
He was not re-signed as part of the coaching staff changes after that. The timing of Jones’ promotion, which came at a time when most teams had filled all of their staffing vacancies, opened the door for a known quantity to rejoin the Detroit organization, the mlb.com report said.
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