TOLEDO, Ohio — Editor's Note: The above video is from the 2021 Mud Hens season.
The Mud Hens have announced that Lloyd McClendon will return as the team's manager for the 2022 season.
McClendon, 63, initially served as manager during the 2016 season. A veteran manager, his first MLB managing job came with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2001. In 2014-15, he led the Seattle Mariners to a record of 87-75, his best at the MLB level.
McClendon played eight seasons in the majors from 1987-1994 with Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and the Chicago Cubs as a first baseman and outfielder. He appeared in 570 MLB games, hitting .244 with 35 home runs and 154 RBI.
McClendon replaces Gary Jones, who had initially been announced as the new Mud Hens manager in December. Instead, Jones will move to a new job with the Detroit Tigers.
Under Tom Prince, the 2021 Mud Hens had a 74-56 record and won a division title, but the team announced last fall that Prince would not return for the 2022 season.
“I am looking forward to returning to Toledo and working with the Tigers in a developmental role,” McClendon said in a prepared statement. “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.”
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