A. J. Hinch was named as one of three finalists for American League Manager of the Year in 2021 in his first full year as manager of the Houston Astros.
However, A. J. Hinch did not win as the 2021 American League Manager of the Year award was given to the winner Kevin Cash of the Tampa Bay Rays. A. J. Hinch is an American professional baseball coach and former player who is the manager of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball.
A. J. Hinch graduated from Midwest City High School in Midwest City, Oklahoma in 1992. There he was the 1992 National Gatorade Player of the Year in baseball during his senior year. He attended Stanford University where he joined Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity.
The Oakland Athletics drafted A. J. Hinch in the third round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft. He debuted with them in 1998. He won a bronze medal for the United States at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He was part of the 1998 Topps All-Star Rookie Team.
A. J. Hinch has played for the Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, and Philadelphia Phillies. He managed the Arizona Diamondbacks from May 2009 to July 2010, and the Houston Astros from 2015 through 2019. He was vice president of professional scouting for the San Diego Padres from September 2010 to August 2014.
A. J. Hinch is married to his longtime partner, Erin Hinch, with whom he shares two daughters including Kaitlin Hinch and Haley Hinch.