Philadelphia Phillies seek Matt Stairs and Mike Sweeney as possible hitting assistants-MLB Update
The news about the ouster of three of the coaches by Philadelphia Phillies has followed the search for hitting assistants by the team for filling vacancies. Two names, Matt Stairs and Mike Sweeney have surfaced as possible candidates for becoming hitting
assistants for the Phillies.
Sources suggest that the Phillies are trying to acquire them so that they can help their hitters prepare for the future.
Dismal performance in the season has compelled the management to introduce measures to make sure the mistakes are not repeated next year. Bugs and flaws are being identified.
Anything which can cause failure again is being addressed by the top management so that by the time next season starts they put up improved performances.
Phillies’ manager Charlie Manuel is of the view that one of the reasons why players struggled to unleash their best was the inability to show mental toughness in the face of lean periods. Psychological aspect of managing players was ignored by them. For
the same reason despite boasting credentials, players fell short of giving their true potential.
Realising this, Manuel has decided that next year he will try his best to stay around players and participate in their daily activities. Furthermore, Manuel will be looking forward to see the hitting assistants following his new strategy of dealing with
players.
General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. earlier declared that keeping in view requirements of the team, he will induct hitting aides soon and for this various options are under review.
“It’s something that’s worked for some other clubs,” Amaro said. “We’ve researched it quite a bit, so we’re going to go with a two-man crew in that regard.”
Amaro clarified that the idea of having hitting assistants has proven extremely useful for most of the teams. He feels if the Phillies have to address the issues comprehensively in their offence, hitting aides can go a long way in this regard.
Within few days, the announcement regarding the names of the assistants can be expected. It will be interesting to see how the decision proves helpful for the Phillies in the upcoming seasons.
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