Clint Hurdle as Hitting Coach

[catalyst]

http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/11/clint-hurdle-the-hitting-coach-a-closer.html

Now that the Rangers have a hitting instructor in place, it all becomes about the results. So, what kind of results did Clint Hurdle get during his five full seasons as the Colorado Rockies hitting instructor?

The chart below should give you some kind of idea. Starting with the year before he took over (1996), we looked at the team's overall batting average and on-base percentage and at some key situational averages. After the jump, an explanation, we try to give some context to the pretty chart.

Some things that stick out to me:

• Most significant is the big jump in road batting average from the year before Hurdle took over to his first season. The Rockies hit .228 on the road in 1996 and had not hit over .240 on the road in either of their first two full seasons (1994 and 1995 were strike-shortened). During Hurdle's five seasons, the team never hit below .240. Improving road batting average is, in my mind, nothing more than a function of improved confidence. At the same time, though, the Rockies were never able to finish higher than the NL road batting average. It should be noted the Rangers have been a lot like the Rockies in that they've enjoyed a huge hitting edge in Arlington, but have struggled badly on the road. They hit .273 at home last year and .248 on the road. If Hurdle can give them the same kind of immediate boost that the Rockies got, it will make this team significantly more dangerous.

• Hurdle's teams posted the five highest yearly batting averages in Rockies' history. They remain the top five even today. They also posted three of the top four on-base percentages in club history.

• In close and late situations (defined as the seventh inning or later with the team ahead by a run, tied or with the tying run on-base, at-bat or on deck), there was no noticeable difference between the pre-Hurdle rockies and the Hurdle-instructed club. The team hit .278 in those situations in 1996 and was within four points of that in each of Hurdle's five seasons. The 1999 team did, however, hit .282, which remains the club record. As for being willing to pass the baton in close-and-late situations, the Rockies had a team-record .365 OBP. During Hurdle's five seasons, it ranged from .346 to .354. Splits for close-and-late situations are about the most accurate measure of how well a team does in run-manufacturing situations that I can find. If somebody has any other stats for these situations, I'd love to see them.

• Though the slugging percentage is not on the chart, Hurdle's teams have the three highest slugging percentages in club history, including a .483 mark in 2001, his final year as hitting instructor. I don't put much stock into those numbers. Remember, this was Coors Field pre-humidor and still at the height of the steroids era. I'm not accusing a single Rockie of using, but simply saying it's an era that will continue to be questioned because of rampant steroid use.

• Also, not on the chart are walks and strikeouts. But suffice to say this: The team struck out 1,108 times in the year before Hurdle took over. It cut the strikeouts down by 48 in his first season. And by another 111 in 1998. In 1999, the team set the franchise low for strikeouts with 863. Part of that may be due to philosophy, but part also must be due to the loss of Andres Galarraga from the lineup. At the same time, the walks increased from 527 in 1996 to 562 in 1997. But the walks total jumped wildly. From 562 to 469 to 508 to 601 and back to 511. Hard to make any real assumptions out of that.