Wonder what all the hype surrounding Rudy Jaramillo is about? To hear Derek Lee talk about it, hitting coaches don’t really make much of a difference. After Cubs hitting coach Von Joshua was released, Lee commented that hitters know their swings and what adjustments they need to make. The role of the hitting coach, according to Lee, “is overrated.”
A lot of hitters who have worked with Jaramillo disagree with Lee’s assessment. Former Cub Mark DeRosa gives a great deal of credit to Jaramillo. “I can’t give him enough credit for the way I’ve been able to make adjustments,” DeRosa said in an article written by Jorge Ortiz in USA Today back in 2006. DeRosa continued, “Had I not met him, I wouldn’t have made this adjustment and who knows what would have happened. It’s not just me. I’ve watched him do it with Gary Matthews Jr., Dave Dellucci, even Michael Young, who has become one of the best hitters in the game.”
Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira also has high praise for Jaramillo. ”He doesn’t cookie-cut anyone’s swing or anyone’s approach. Every player’s different. He realizes that. He makes you the best hitter you can be.”
Both Alfonso Soriano and Milton Bradley worked and thrived under Jaramillo’s tutelage while they were in Texas. “I liked working with Rudy because he spoke Spanish and we could really communicate,” says Soriano.
The Cubs signed Jaramillo to a 3-year,$2.4 million contract yesterday, making him the highest paid coach in MLB. If he can duplicate the success in Wrigley that he had in Texas, it will be money well spent.
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Want to know more about Rudy Jaramillo’s hitting philosophy. Check out his website. You can even buy a DVD detailing Jaramillo’s hitting approach or have him analyze your swing. Interesting stuff…
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We previously talked about the possibility that Rudy Jaramillo being brought in by the Cubs was a sign that Milton Bradley would be sticking around. Jim Hendry addressed this concern in an article written by Carrie Muskat of MLB.com:
“Hendry said Jaramillo’s success with Bradley had nothing to do with the Cubs’ decision to hire him. Bradley led the American League in on-base percentage and batted .321 in 2008 in Texas, but struggled to hit .257 this season in Chicago and was suspended for the final 15 games because of detrimental conduct.
“Hendry has talked to teams in an attempt to trade the outfielder and the $21 million still owed on his contract.
“We play the cards that we have,” Hendry said. “Milton’s on the Cubs’ roster [now]. That’s how we go about it until somebody’s not on the Cubs’ roster. [Jaramillo's relationship with Bradley] didn’t have any connection. We could’ve had 20 different guys on our roster and Rudy would still be sitting here today as our No. 1 guy.”
So Jaramillo joining the Cubs doesn’t mean that Bradley will be with the team in 2010. But Tim Dierkes from MLBTradeRumors.com thinks he should be. Tim writes:
“The Cubs seem dead-set on moving Bradley and finding someone else to play right or center field. A player they loved a year ago, they hate now. Bradley had a slow start and finish, showed little power, and had issues with the fans, media, and manager. Still, he posted a .378 OBP in the off-year and certainly could improve upon that in 2010. My advice: work it out, rather than eating $15MM+ or taking on a different bad contract. Bradley is not the reason the Cubs received over 2,000 plate appearances of subpar hitting from Soriano, Fontenot, Soto, Hill, Hoffpauir, and Miles, nor is he the reason Ramirez was limited to 342 PAs due to a shoulder injury.”
As much as I like Tim and admire the job he is doing at MLBTR, I completely disagree with him. True, Milton Bradley’s bad behavior is not to blame for the poor season that Alfonso Soriano, Mike Fontenot, Geovany Soto, et al had in 2009. He’s also not the reason that Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano, et al spent time on the DL. But that’s not really the point, is it?
Forget for the moment that the Cubs had any other issues to contend with in 2009. Just focus on Bradley. Judge Bradley strictly on the merits of his performance and his behavior. There’s no doubt that his on field performance was sub-par in 2009, but when you couple it with his unstable, even paranoid behavior and the negative impact it had in the clubhouse, bringing Bradley back for another year is just untenable. A line has been crossed that can not be uncrossed. The bridges have been burned. Jim Hendry must find another home for Bradley and the Cubs must turn the page.
Even if you accept Tim’s contention that Bradley “certainly could improve upon” his 2009 performance, does it really matter when you factor in Bradley’s behavior? If Bradley didn’t have the history of odd, unstable, inappropriate behavior he has exhibited over the course of his career, then maybe I would agree with Tim. But no matter his on field performance, the Cubs can not afford the negative impact Bradley’s behavior has on the rest of the team. Bradley is a talented player and he certaily has the potential to put up some respectable numbers. Unfortunately, the negative impact of his personality and behavior always outweighs whatever positive impact he provides on the field.
