Colorado Rockies hitting coach Dante Bichette wants his batter to dominate opponents- MLB News
Dante Bichette, the new hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies, is clear in what he wants from his batters and that is to intimidate the opposition with their hitting prowess. The team had its struggles in hitting department in 2012 and was tied at the last
position in runs scored in the away games.
Dante aims to terrorise opposing pitchers to the point that they don’t want to come to the Coors Field. He is aware that it will not be an easy task but one that must be performed. The hitting coach also wanted the hitters to value their at-bats and make
it hard for the pitchers to get them out.
"We want to get to a point where we have a lineup with no easy outs, that can have thump in almost every spot," Bichette said. "It's not going to be easy, I know that. But we have to stress that, where we are relentless, where pitchers don't want to come
here."
The Rockies had a far from spectacular year at home in 2012. The team lost 46 of its 81 home games. The hitters had a .306 average at home, clearly indicating at a poor show by the pitchers. However, the fact that they hit 18 home-runs less then he rivals
in the Coors Field indicated that the batters weren’t at their best either.
Bill Geivett, senior vice president of Major League operations for the Colorado ball club, was impressed by the work ethics of Bichette and admitted that he is better than what he expected.
"To sit there and listen to him talk about hitting at length, and offense, I was really impressed," Geivett said. "I hate to say it, but he was even better than I thought."
The Rockies pitching unit is already facing a lot of injury issues which makes the job of the batting lineup even more crucial. The Rockies are hoping that shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will be fully fit at the start of 2013 season which will be a great boost
for the team.
Dante himself was an accomplished hitter for the Rockies. In 1995, he led the National League in RBI’s with 128, home-runs with 40 and hits with 197. He won the Silver Slugger Award for his excellent performance in 1995.
Walt Weiss, the recently appointed Colorado manager has been a team mate of Dante and is well aware of his capabilities.
"Our guys are going to fall in love with Dante. He's a big teddy bear that is passionate about hitting," said Weiss. "I believe he will establish relationships with our guys quickly."
The Colorado Rockies would be hoping that the new hitting coach can instil his aggressive approach towards hitting into the batting lineup of the Rockies. Should that happen, the hitters should really be instrumental in improving the ball club’s performance
in 2013.
Tags: