In trying to reclaim old glory, the Rockies brought back a blast from the past, hiring former manager Don Baylor as hitting instructor.
“He’s the right man for the right time,” manager Clint Hurdle said today. “He knows more about the offensive side of than anyone I have ever met in his game.”
Baylor inherits a Rockies’ team that struggled offensively last season, failing to match the 2007 success. Hurdle completed his new staff by hiring bench coach Jim Tracy, third base coach Rich Dauer and bullpen coach Jim Wright.
“This was an extensive search, with a lot of discussion about how these men can make us better,” Hurdle said.
Tracy, Baylor, Dauer, Wright and new strength coach Brian Jordan join pitching coach Bob Apodaca and first base coach Glenallen Hill on the staff.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
Baylor statistics
Career managerial stats for new Rockies hitting instructor Don Baylor, the 1995 NL manager of the year:
Year … Team … W … L … Pct … .Div …
1993 … Rockies … 67 … 95 … .414 … 6th …
1994 … Rockies … 53 … 64 … .453 … 3rd …
1995 … Rockies … 77 … 67 … .535 … 2nd …
1996 … Rockies … 83 … 79 … .512 … 3rd …
1997 … Rockies … 83 … 79 … .512 … 3rd …
1998 … Rockies … 77 … 85 … .475 … 4th …
2000 … Cubs … 65 … 97 … .401 … 6th …
2001 … Cubs … 88 … 74 … .543 … 3rd …
2002 … Cubs … 34 … 49 … .410 … 5th …
Team … W … L … Pct …
Rockies totals … 440 … 469 … .484 …
Cubs totals … 187 … 220 … .459 …
Career totals … 627 … 689 … .476 …
