ShareHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
A day of off-the-record confirmations and one for-the-record denial about who will become the Texas Rangers’ hitting coach came to an end Tuesday with the club expected to add Clint Hurdle to the coaching staff later this week.
Three sources said that Hurdle, the former Colorado Rockies manager, has emerged from a group of four finalists that included Thad Bosley, Gerald Perry and Rusty Greer. Each candidate interviewed Monday at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.But Hurdle declined comment Tuesday night, and general manager Jon Daniels said the Rangers haven’t settled on who will replace longtime hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo.The Rangers have not told any of the candidates that they have been eliminated from consideration."We have not yet offered the job to anyone," Daniels said. "We’re finishing up our due diligence. When we’ve made a final decision, we’ll communicate first to the four candidates and then make an announcement."That announcement is likely on hold until after the conclusion of the World Series. The Rangers are content to obey the wishes of Major League Baseball, which requests that teams avoid making news on World Series game days.Hurdle could be introduced Thursday if New York beats Philadelphia tonight and clinches the world title. But if the Phillies force a seventh game, the Rangers’ announcement wouldn’t be made until Friday.The Rangers have been without a hitting coach since Oct. 14, when Jaramillo turned down a one-year offer for $545,000 to remain with the club for a 16th season. He signed a three-year deal worth $2.4 million with the Chicago Cubs a week later.Hurdle wouldn’t come to the Rangers without experience as a hitting coach. He instructed Rockies hitters from 1997 to 2002 before he was promoted to replace Buddy Bell as manager. Hurdle guided Colorado to the World Series in 2007, but he was fired in May after a sluggish start by a team that eventually won the National League wild-card berth into the playoffs.Hurdle said last week that while the Rockies’ manager he missed having much time to teach players. As a manager, he oversaw a coaching staff that gobbled up most of the hands-on instruction."As a manager, your responsibilities change," Hurdle said Thursday. "The one thing I missed was an opportunity to teach. I would find me plugging myself back in from time to time."But Hurdle will get ample time with Rangers hitters. Club brass wants to see a team that is better at situational hitting while also making pitchers work harder. He will inherit a group of hitters who combined to lead the American League in strikeouts while drawing the third-fewest walks.Jeff Wilson, 817-390-7760
@Nyx.CommentBody@