Mud Hens welcome Parrish for third stint as manager

DETROIT -- On Wednesday, Triple-A Toledo announced Larry Parrish will make his third stint as a manager of the Mud Hens.

Parrish, the Hens' all-time leader in managerial wins, was named the International League's Manager of the Year in 2005 as he led Toledo to back-to-back championships in '05 and '06. In 1999, Parrish replaced Buddy Bell as the manager of the Tigers and went 69-92 in his lone season.

"He's terrific. I think the world of Larry Parrish," manager Jim Leyland said. "I think he's an outstanding baseball manager, a great evaluator. I think he's outstanding baseball guy and a great guy. I really enjoy being around him."

Parrish, a two-time Major League All-Star, made his first stint with the Mud Hens in 1994 before returning in 2003 for seven years, missing the '07 season. He replaces Phil Nevin, who parted ways with the organization on Sept. 1.

Parrish left Toledo after the 2010 season to take a job as the Atlanta Braves' hitting coach, a position he held for a year. He returned to the Tigers' organization this year and managed at low Class A West Michigan, but his value and his temperament best fit Triple-A and its combination of older prospects and veterans.

"It makes it easier to go to a place where you are familiar with things like what restaurants to eat at and what golf courses to play," Parrish told the Toledo Blade.

The Tigers also promoted Toledo's pitching coach A.J. Sager to the team's roving pitching coordinator, while athletic trainer Matt Rankin joins the Tigers as an assistant athletic trainer. Al Nipper, who was the team's roving coordinator for the past two years, will become the Mud Hens' pitching coach for the 2014 season.