Rays fire hitting coach Henderson after record-setting production

“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.