NewsFour finalists make cut for hitting coach
Bosley, Greer, Hurdle, Perry to interview on Monday
By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com
10/29/09 9:57 PM ET
ARLINGTON -- Three experienced Major League hitting coaches and one Texas Rangers Hall of Famer are the four finalists to replace Rudy Jaramillo. The Rangers announced Thursday that Thad Bosley, Rusty Greer, Clint Hurdle and Gerald Perry are the finalists to be their next hitting coach. All four, as well as others who didn't make the cut, have interviewed by phone and will have a final face-to-face interview with club officials on Monday. "We've got some good candidates left. We'll just have to see where it goes," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. Washington, general manager Jon Daniels and club president Nolan Ryan will be among those who will be involved in the interviews. "It's a process," Daniels said. "We've had a chance to hear from a lot of good baseball people and heard a lot of interesting ideas. It's an important hire, so we are going to take our time with it. It's interesting to hear different guys' thoughts on how to get the most out of a group of players, not just mechanically but from a team standpoint." Greer is the only one of the four who has not been a Major League hitting coach. He has not worked in professional baseball since his playing career ended in 2002 but spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach under former Rangers pitcher Mike Jeffcoat at Texas Wesleyan. He has also worked as a Collegiate Summer League coach. Greer brings passion, energy, extensive knowledge of the art and instant credibility from a playing career in which he compiled a .305 career batting average, a .378 on-base percentage and a .478 slugging percentage. His biggest drawback is lack of experience as a hitting coach. The others have a significant edge in that department. Bosley was a hitting coach for the Athletics in 1999-2002, working on the same staff as Washington. He also spent all or parts of 14 seasons in the Major Leagues, playing in 784 games as a part-time player and pinch-hitter, batting .272 with a .330 on-base percentage and a .357 slugging percentage. His last team was the Rangers at the end of the 1989 season and the beginning of 1990. During his time with the Athletics, Jason Giambi and Miguel Tejada won the American League Most Valuable Player Award. Bosley is the coach at Bethany University and has achieved significant success in the music and investment fields as owner of his own companies. Hurdle was the Colorado Rockies hitting coach from 1997-2002 before replacing Buddy Bell as manager. He led the Rockies to the World Series in 2007 but was dismissed this season on May 29 and replaced by Jim Tracy. The Rockies, while playing in hitter-friendly Coors Field, scored over 900 runs in four of six seasons from 1997-2002. Perry has been a hitting coach for the past 10 seasons with the Mariners in 2000-02, the Pirates in 2003-05, the Athletics in 2006 and the Cubs beginning in 2007. The Cubs led the National League in runs scored in 2008, but they were 14th out of 16 teams on June 14 of this season when he was replaced by Von Joshua. Perry spent 13 years in the Major Leagues from 1983-95 and finished with a .265 batting average, a .333 on-base percentage and a .376 slugging percentage. Richardson re-signed: The Rangers also announced on Thursday that they had re-signed catcher Kevin Richardson to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Richardson played in four games for the Rangers this season and was 3-for-6.T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
