Moderator: JaysRule15
The Toronto Blue Jays announced on Tuesday that the team has hired Gary Denbo as the team's new hitting coach.
Denbo, 47, joins the Blue Jays from the New York Yankees organization where he was the roving hitting coordinator.
Denbo's goal is to have a better understanding of each batter's mechanics than anyone else, forging close relationships with the hitters along the way. It's the same approach he's used throughout his years of coaching and it's a style that has garnered praise from players around the league.
"I've already started," Denbo said earlier this week. "I got an opportunity to watch quite a bit of video, actually before the interview process even started. Where I'll start is trying to get to know these hitters as well as I can and get to know their swings.
"Probably after the World Series, I'll be making contact with some guys and talking to them a little bit, hopefully, having a chance to start to develop some kind of relationship with these guys, so we can hit the ground running once Spring Training starts."
"He builds an instant rapport with a guy when he wants to work with him," said Lowell, who worked with Denbo in their days with the Yankees. "He was a guy who, I think, believed in my ability to make contact. He just kept working with me in trying to develop a consistent path, which is what I think what everyone shoots for.
Denbo said the first step in that process is getting Toronto's hitters to buy into a team-oriented approach at the plate. He cited the unselfish methods of the New York teams that won four World Series titles from 1996-2000, saying that's the kind of mentality he wants to bring to the Rogers Centre in 2008.
