Saturday, February 13, 2010

Spring brings rebirth for Cubs hitters

Baseball in Illinois News
courtesy mlb.com

CHICAGO -- The one person who could have the biggest impact on the Cubs in 2010 never played above the Double-A level.


Rudy Jaramillo spent four seasons in the Minor Leagues but was never called up to the big leagues. Now he's the Cubs' hitting coach and enters Spring Training with an impressive list of pupils, including one of the team's new guys, whom Jaramillo hopes will help sell his philosophy.

"I don't know if you understand the magnitude of what he can do with hitters," Marlon Byrd said of Jaramillo. "He's unbelievable."


Jaramillo leaves the Texas Rangers after 15 seasons there, the longest tenure with one team of any Major League hitting coach. His hitters have won 17 Silver Slugger Awards, three home run titles, three RBI championships and a batting title.

"He's a great teacher," said Byrd, who followed Jaramillo to the Cubs from Texas, signing a three-year deal. "He didn't play in the big leagues or have a long career in baseball, but over time, he's become a big league hitting coach, and that's a big thing, being able to teach and see the swing and teach hitters their own swings."

Byrd has benefited from the partnership. Last season, he batted .283 and set career highs in doubles (43), home runs (20), RBIs (98) and slugging percentage (.479). In four seasons with Philadelphia, Byrd batted .271 and hit 13 homers. In three years in Texas with Jaramillo, Byrd hit .295 with 40 homers.

"He can teach you how to hit big league pitching," Byrd said. "A lot of guys can't do that. There are some big league hitting coaches who understood what they did at the plate, but it's understanding every single position player and even the pitchers, trying to help them. Your guys are out there getting four, five at-bats a day, and it's getting those guys right [that's important], and that's what he does best."

The Cubs ranked 12th in batting average in the National League last season, and the team's .255 average was hurt by the absence of key players such as Aramis Ramirez, Geovany Soto and Alfonso Soriano. Ramirez (shoulder) missed 50 games, Soto (strained oblique) 26, Soriano (knee) 29.



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