RSS
Home
Cubs name Rudy Jaramillo as new hitting coach
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
The Chicago Cubs have named Rudy Jaramillo the team's new major league hitting coach. Jaramillo replaces Von Joshua, who at the end of the 2009 season was offered his previous position as hitting coach at Triple-A Iowa.
"Rudy Jaramillo is widely regarded as the premiere hitting instructor in the game," said Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry. "The addition of Rudy to our franchise is a strong statement from our new owners, the Ricketts family, and we thank them for allowing us to move quickly to fill this important role with the best in the business."
Jaramillo, 59, spent 15 seasons as hitting coach with the Texas Rangers, overseeing a Rangers offense that produced 17 Silver Slugger Awards, three home run champions, three RBI titles and a batting champion. Additionally, his hitters won four of the last 15 Most Valuable Player awards.
While with the Rangers, Jaramillo guided them to 13 consecutive seasons in which the offense recorded more than 800 runs scored, the longest streak by any major league team since the New York Yankees accomplished the feat in 17 straight seasons from 1926-42. The Rangers also established a major league record with 376 doubles in 2008 and hit 260 home runs in 2005, the second-highest single-season home run total in major league history.
Jaramillo will begin his 32nd season in professional baseball and his 20th as a major league hitting coach in 2010. In addition 15 years with the Rangers, he served four years as the big league hitting coach in Houston from 1990-93. Prior to joining the Astros, Jaramillo was a minor league manager, coach and instructor in the Texas chain from 1983-89.
A native of Beeville, Texas, Jaramillo played two seasons at Panola Junior College followed by two seasons at the University of Texas, where he was a member of the 1973 Longhorns squad that placed third at the College World Series. He was selected in the 19th round of the 1973 Draft by the Rangers. Jaramillo was an outfielder in the Rangers minor league system for four seasons from 1973-76.
Jaramillo has received many honors during his professional career. In 2005, Jaramillo was named the Baseball America Major League Coach of the Year and in 2007 was given the South Texas Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a member of the Texas Baseball, Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Panola College Halls of Fame. He and his wife, Shelley, live in Dallas. They have two grown children.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
