The Rays are in the market for a hitting coach. How about throwing Rod Carew’s name into the mix? Nothing like bringing one of the game’s best hitters in to work with the Rays young batters. And, Carew and Joe Maddon have worked together in the Angels organization, so they have history.
But, he hasn’t coached since 2001 with the Milwaukee Brewers and is now 64-years-old. It’s probably a longshot that he’d want to get back into coaching. There’s a great Los Angeles Times article online from 1995 that details the kind of coach that Carew was with the Angels. The best quote in the piece was from former Angels’ outfielder Chili Davis:
“He enjoys watching a guy go from .220 to .290, knowing he’s been part of it. I mean, it’s not self-gratification. It’s just his feeling that if you can hit a baseball at all, you should be able to improve with hard work.”
I read that and thought BJ Upton. A professional hitter like Rod Carew coming in and working with the talent of BJ would be interesting to watch.
Photo: Flickr
