New Mud Hens manager Tom Prince is a true baseball man

Former managers, players praise the work ethic of Tom Prince.

By Brian Buckey / The Blade
Thu, 05 Dec 2019 17:34:57 GMT

Back when Jim Leyland was managing the Pittsburgh Pirates, he remembers early mornings in his office at spring training and hearing the sounds of bat hitting ball in the nearby batting cage.

“In the old days, you could hear it, because the cage was right next to my office,” Leyland recalled. “You could hear the swing of the bat at 7:30 in the morning, and I always knew who it was.”

The guilty culprit back then was Pirates backup catcher Tom Prince, whose relentless work ethic allowed him to carve out a 17-year major league career in that role.

Prince parlayed his extensive playing experience into a managerial career in the Pirates organization, in which he served as manager at several different levels in the minor-league system and most recently as the bench coach for the Pirates the past three years.

On Tuesday, the Detroit Tigers named Prince the manager of the Triple-A affiliate Toledo Mud Hens for the 2020 season.

As a former player, Leyland marveled at the way Prince prepared and got the most out of his skill set.

“He was a workaholic,” said Leyland, who managed the Tigers from 2006 to 2013 and currently serves as a special assistant to the general manager for the team. “He wasn't the most talented player, but he just worked and wasn't going to take no for an answer. He was a heck of a catcher. He was really a good defensive catcher and a good thrower. He lasted for 17 years, and that's pretty impressive.”

Prince credited some of his minor-league coaches as playing an instrumental role in his development as a player and then later shaping his managerial style and how he relates with players.

Current Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings looks at Prince in that same light.

Prince served as the catching coordinator and Gulf Coast League manager during Stallings’ first year and a half of professional baseball, and later managed Stallings at High-A Bradenton and Double-A Altoona, before the two spent time together in Pittsburgh.

“I love the guy,” Stallings said. “Outside of my family, he's probably had more of an impact on my career than anyone as far as developing me and mentoring me. He's a really good leader and is really good with players. He's old school and hard nosed, but definitely knows when to joke around and that type stuff.”

As a former catcher, Prince has been a valuable resource for Stallings along the way.

“At least for me from a catching perspective, he's just so smart and has so much experience and was able to help me grow in game management and all the things that go into catching,” Stallings said. “I just learned so much from him calling a game and knowing who is on deck and learning the game within the game. You start to see the game through the same lens as him, and it was really fun for me. I'm just so grateful for everything he did for me.”

Pirates hitting coach Rick Eckstein has known Prince dating back to when Prince played with the Minnesota Twins in 2001, and the relationship was renewed when the two were on staff with the Pirates.

“He's a tremendous baseball man with tremendous baseball knowledge,” Eckstein said. “He has a great work ethic. He's a great connector. He's relentless with his desire to learn and keep growing and keep sharing.”

Eckstein said he grew to appreciate the exchanges he and Prince had before Pirates games.

“Every night before the game, he'd always run through the hitting cages right before he was headed out to the bench to set up the lineup card and get ready for the game,” Eckstein said. “Those exchanges every day, we looked forward to it. We couldn't wait for Tom to bust through the door and give us the game talk and get us ready to go.”

One of the biggest jobs Prince will have with the Mud Hens is to prepare prospects for the major leagues.

With the potential to work with top-end prospects like Casey Mize, Matt Manning, Isaac Paredes, and others in Toledo this season, Eckstein is confident Prince will be a big asset in player development.

“Not only do I think he's going to be good at it, I think he's going to excel at it,” Eckstein said. “He's been in the big leagues the last few years as a bench coach, and a lot of expertise and knowledge comes with that position. I think he will be able to get those Triple-A guys mentally prepared and physically ready for the big leagues. I have no doubt of that.”

Eckstein and Leyland both mentioned Prince is an avid hunter when not spending time at the ballpark. Inevitably, however, when Eckstein and Prince talk, the conversation naturally veers back to baseball.

“When we are together off the field, we love to talk baseball,” Eckstein said. “We love to talk the game and talk development and just talk baseball and just all that comes with working with players.”

Leyland said he sees a burning desire from Prince to succeed and even eventually become a manager at the major league level.

“He's just a guy who's going to be there early and stay there late, and he's going to be working while he is there,” Leyland said. “Sometimes guys get to the ballpark early, but they are not doing anything. He's one of those guys that is going to be dedicated and doing something while he's there.

“Plus, I think he has hopes of managing in the big leagues someday. That's another thing I like about him. I want guys that have that incentive that they want to move themselves. I like those guys that are kind of on a mission for themselves as well as getting the players to the big leagues and doing their job. I think that that is healthy, because you know you are going to get their best.”

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