Jim Leyland to call it a career

Jim Leyland has decided to call it a career. Leyland was fifteenth winningest manager in baseball (1769-1728). He managed for twenty-two years, and for four different teams. He was most successful with his last job, manager for the Detroit Tigers for eight years, where he went 700-597 with two American League Pennants. Overall, Leyland has won three pennants and one World Series, managing the 1997 Marlins to their first World Series. 

Leyland has won Manager of the Year in both leagues, capturing the crown in 1990 (NL), 1992 (NL), and 2006 (AL). He has finished in the voting for this award in twelve of his seasons, showing that he could be a great manager on a yearly basis. Could Jim Leyland make the hall of fame?

Only five managers with more wins than Leyland have not made the Hall of Fame. Four of those five managers have not served their five years of retirement yet (LaRussa; Cox; Torre; Piniella) will probably make it in as well. Leyland is definitely a candidate for the Hall of Fame, due to his great work ethic, his wonderful personality, and his ways of managing a ball club. Leyland is a good guy, and deserves to be voted in for his great twenty-two years of big league managing. 

"We want to thank Jim for everything he has done over the past eight years to steer the ship and lead our ballclub to some exciting times in this town," Tigers owner Mike Ilitch said. "Jim has been instrumental in the franchise's most recent success on and off the field, and we are forever grateful. We wish the best to Jim and his family in the future."

Quote courtesy of MLB.com

Leyland hopes to stay involved with the Tigers saying that he will "accept another position yet to be determined." He deserves another job in baseball, especially with the Tigers team that he has managed for nearly the last decade. The Tigers will now join the search for 2014 managers.