“The Tampa Bay Rays have fired hitting coach Steve Henderson following a season in which the Rays set team records for runs, home runs, on-base percentage and walks.” Outstanding!
The Rays announced Monday that hitting coach Steve Henderson, along with quality assurance coach Todd Greene, will not be back with the team in 2010. A new hitting coach will be hired during the offseason while the quality assurance position is being discontinued.
“It was something we’ve been talking about for the past couple of weeks,” said executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman on a conference call. “I think it’s obvious the impact that [Henderson has] had on our guys in the Minor Leagues and also the Major Leagues, and ultimately it was a very difficult decision. Both of us have tremendous respect for him—his tireless work ethic and all the things he does on a daily basis. But ultimately we felt like it was time for a new voice.”
...Friedman said “there were some inadequacies offensively this year,” but the move wasn’t about pointing a finger at Henderson. Friedman went so far as to say, “I’m accountable, and [the move] has nothing to do with things that have transpired.” But he said the Rays were making the right move and that such a move would allow them to “advance things going forward.”
Maddon has harped on the importance of situational hitting throughout his tenure as the team’s manager, so it’s likely Henderson’s replacement will have some definite ideas about how to improve that facet of the Rays’ hitting. The Rays are in the process of identifying the candidates they would like to interview for the open position.
Repoz
Posted: October 06, 2009 at 12:35 AM |
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1. Halofan Posted: October 06, 2009 at 12:41 AM (#3341152)Took the words right out o' me mouth!
Wait, is this a real thing?
Maybe they are replacing Todd Greene with a rotating battery of Secret Shoppers from one of those temp agencies.
?
Before each plate appearance, batters will indicate areas of improvement that they will commit to making deliverable in the ensuing PA. After each plate appearance, batters will be required to complete a sixteen-question Quality Enhancement Protocol on-line. Batters who indicate improvement on fewer than 75% (12 of 16) self-reporting measures will be required to complete a one-hour Continuous Quality Improvement Initiative on-line training module before being approved for the starting lineup of the following night's game. After each Sunday game, batters will receive a special "360" performance review conducted by the manager, the batting coach, the team owner, the opposing catcher, the batboy, the radio PBP guy, and four random fans selected from the box seats, a popular sports bar, somebody's parents' couch, and the Nurse Ratched Imaginary Ballgame TV Lounge.
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