MESA, Ariz. -- It's still early in Spring Training, so Derrek Lee can't give a complete scouting report on new Cubs hitting coach Gerald Perry. But Lee, who won a batting title in 2005, does know one thing: Perry is keeping the hitters happy.

"We've gotten a lot of swings in this year," Lee said. "I can't remember this many. You're always swinging, which is good."

The position players are constantly on the move. They get 20 minutes of batting practice off coaches, 20 minutes of batting practice off pitchers, and another 20 minutes in the cage.

"At the end of the day," Perry said, "nobody can say they didn't get enough swings."

Perry, 46, doesn't want any excuses. He arrives with the task of changing a team that has scuffled offensively. The Cubs did rank fifth in the National League in batting in 2006 with a .268 average, but they were 15th in runs scored and RBIs, and last in walks and on-base percentage.

This year's lineup will have new faces with the addition of Alfonso Soriano, Mark DeRosa, and Cliff Floyd, plus Lee and Cesar Izturis are both healthy and eager to put last season behind them. Perry has a lot of work to do. His plan?

"For one, I want guys to go up ready to swing the bat, but be more disciplined and get a good pitch to hit," he said. "I want guys to be in an attack mode. Look for a pitch to hit, and you attack and you attack and you attack."

The key, he said, is putting the ball in play. That's much more effective than striking out, which the Cubs have done well, too.

"It's patience, but it's patience to hit a pitch that you're looking for and not just giving up strikes," he said. "The pitch you wind up taking because it's not the one you're looking for could be a strike, but you're just looking for something else."

The Oakland Athletics followed Perry's guidance, and improved from a .243 first-half batting average to hit .279 in the second half. They also ranked second in the American League in walks, the fourth time he's helped a team rank first or second in the league in walks. He also did so in 2000-02 in Seattle, his first stint as a Major League hitting coach and first turn with Lou Piniella.

"We averaged 100 wins a year -- that was a lot of fun," Perry said of their Seattle days. "He's pretty much a hands-off guy. He lets you do what you do, and you go do it. I really like that. I've been blessed with the quality of guys I've had, here included."

It's been less than one week since the first full-squad workout, but Perry is getting a good feel for the Cubs players. He got a sneak peek at many of them when he studied videos of their swings this winter. He'll be at the batting cages by 8 a.m. MT and start drills, along with Minor League hitting coach Von Joshua.

"So far, I have nothing but praise for these guys," Perry said. "They've been working their tails off and they've been receptive if I want to say something or if guys ask questions. I couldn't imagine more than this already."

It helps that Perry isn't too far removed from his playing days. An All-Star in 1988, he compiled a .265 career average playing for Atlanta, Kansas City and St. Louis.

"One thing that helps in a lot of ways," he said, "is that you can relate to a question you get from a guy or a problem he might have or some of the struggles he might have. I don't want to be coaching long enough to forget how tough this game is to play. If it wasn't tough to play, I'd still be playing like Julio Franco."

Perry is excited about the Cubs' chances.

"My thing with hitting is you go out every day and not worry about stats and do the little things to help the team win, and then your stats will be where they're supposed to be," he said. "I think the fans have a lot to look forward to. Expectations should be high. Mine are. They are through the clubhouse."

Perry also has an interesting Cubs connection. In 1983, he was a 22-year-old first baseman and called up to the Braves from Triple-A Richmond. His first road trip was to Wrigley Field. In three games, Aug. 19-21, he went 4-for-9 with six RBIs and hit his first Major League home run. And he was one of the reasons Cubs manager Lee Elia was fired.

"I never heard of this guy Gerald Perry," Elia said after the first game when Perry was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, including a first-inning homer. "Our coaches don't scout the International League. He came out of nowhere."

Elia was fired on Aug. 22, and Cubs general manager Dallas Green said the manager's comments regarding Perry contributed to his decision. Green said the information on Perry was on his desk.

"That was an embarrassment to the team and the whole organization," Green said. "Lee should have known better."

Perry and Elia were able to laugh about the incident later. The two were on Piniella's coaching staff in Seattle.

"He was kidding around saying, 'You got me fired,'" Perry said. "It's funny how that worked out, that I wound up being that player."

Did you know: On Sept. 7, 1993, Mark Whiten tied a Major League record for RBIs in a game with 12 in St. Louis' 15-2 win over Cincinnati. Whiten hit a record-tying four home runs, including a first-inning grand slam. Gerald Perry was on base for each of the homers.