Jaramillo out as Rangers' hitting coach

[Number_Fourteen]

DALLAS (AP)—The Texas Rangers will emphasize situational hitting over slugging next season. That new approach will come from a new hitting coach, too.

Rudy Jaramillo turned down a one-year deal Wednesday, ending a 15-year run during which the Rangers were among the most feared lineups in baseball and players routinely credited him for their success.

Jaramillo said his departure has nothing to do with the team’s shift in philosophy. It’s about the uncertainty that comes with the club being for sale and, at 59, wondering what it’s like to be a free agent.

“It’s just time for me to do right now,” Jaramillo said. “I just felt I needed to try to get some security.”

Juan Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez(notes) and Alex Rodriguez(notes) won MVP awards under Jaramillo’s tutelage. Texas hitters won three home run titles, two RBI crowns and a batting championship, and the team consistently ranked near the top in power numbers and runs.

However, the Rangers made the playoffs only three times during his tenure, most recently in 1999, and have never won a postseason series. They mounted a surprising challenge this season, lasting until the final month.

The bigger surprise was that pitching and defense led the way—and that the offense lagged, slowed by Josh Hamilton(notes) being hurt most of the season and Michael Young(notes) being hurt down the stretch.

Texas hit .260 last season, 11th in the AL, but was second in homers. The Rangers were middle of the pack in runs and RBIs.

Jaramillo is a Dallas native. He previously worked for the Astros, helping Jeff Bagwell(notes) blossom into a dominant hitter. He said he’s leaving the organization on good terms, feeling “blessed to be here all this time” and that he hasn’t heard from any teams yet.

“Nobody thought I’d leave here,” he said. “I’m ready, I feel good about the decision. I’m going to miss all those kids. They’re great, all the Ranger people.”

Team president Nolan Ryan and general manager Jon Daniels met with Jaramillo last week and offered him a contract for 2010. They were surprised to be turned down, but understood his reasons.

“He’s put himself in a position that everyone in the game hopes they are able to achieve,” Daniels said. “If he’s not the best, he’s certainly one of the best in the field. He’s got a choice to make and I respect that.”

With or without Jaramillo, the Rangers were planning to try being more disciplined at the plate next season. The buzzword is “situational hitting,” such as stressing contact with two strikes, moving runners over and taking more pitches.

“We felt, and Rudy certainly was in agreement, our walk-to-strikeout ratio has to improve,” Ryan said. “We were all disappointed in the number of strikeouts and lack of walks we had this year. For us to move forward, that’s an area we have to stress.”

Manager Ron Washington said there’s no list of candidates yet.

“You don’t just replace a guy like that,” Washington said.

The rest of Washington’s staff will be back: pitching coach Mike Maddux, bench coach and catching instructor Jackie Moore, third base coach and infield instructor Dave Anderson, first base coach and baserunning instructor Gary Pettis, and bullpen coach Andy Hawkins.

AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins in Dallas contributed to this report.

[Eric]

Too bad hitting coach for life Jacoby is in Cincy huh?

[fewfirstchoice]

2 things the Reds could do right now to improve this team 10 fold is hire Duncan as pitching coach and Jaramillo as hitting coach. Those 2 things would put the Reds over the top in my opinion. It wouldnt bother me if they were the only 2 moves made all off season just as long as they were brought aboard. They would bring our young players full potential out.

[Eric]

Pole is gone now. Thats a good thing. Jacoby is still there, thats not.
I could live with Eric davis being the hitting coach for that matter and tom browining being the pitching coach. Anything has to be better than what we had.
Now before everyone thinks that this is my choices for hitting and pitching coaches, then nope it aint.
Just sayin.

[bounty37h]

Hmmm, the players they mention succeeding under him are all power hitters and are/were steroid heads. No thanks, too close to be coincidence IMO.

[Red in Atl]

If we can't get Dave Duncan, we need to sign Ted Power immediately. He's ready for the show. He's the guy who has guided our young pitching staff to the majors. If we don't sign him, he's gone. And he'd likely be cheap, something this front office loves.

C'mon already.

[fewfirstchoice]

I agree 100% red in atl.

[laxtonto]

He might not be the best guy to go after. His approach teaches more of a pick your pitch and go out and get it approach instead of a more conservative work the count approach.

Add to it his latest bout with cancer, his recent inability to connect with Texas most crop of young players, his changing Hamilton's swing that lead to a horrible offensive season this year, his inability to fix Kinsler's approach for the 2nd half of the season and his inability to the mechanical flaw in Davis swing that instantly got repaired in AAA, all lead to Texas willingness to go and get a guy that will be more intune with the speed based lineup that includes speed guys like Kinsler, Borbon, and Andrus.

Great guy for picking guys off of the scrap heap, but A Jones was his last effort that texas used a 40 man spot for....

[BEETTLEBUG]

What relation is Rudy to the one in Reds system? Brother?