Los Angeles Angels hire Jeremy Reed as hitting coach
A predictable choice, the former minor league hitting coordinator will join Brad Ausmus’ staff with the Los Angeles Angels during the upcoming 2019 season.
According to MLB.com, the Los Angeles Angels have promoted Jeremy Reed from minor league coordinator to major league hitting coach, replacing Eric Hinske as the coach on the major league squad. The earliest reports of his hiring came from Jon Heyman of Fancred and Chris Cotillo of MLB.com.
Hinske had been the hitting coach since 2017, a position he assumed after spending time as a coach with the Chicago Cubs from 2013 to 2016.
Reed, 37, is a former major league outfielder who spent time with the Blue Jays, Mariners, Brewers and Mets. For his major league career, he slashed .252/.309/.354 in 1250 at-bats, clubbing 12 home runs and stealing 20 bases in 483 career games, most of them with Seattle and New York.
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A second-round pick of the White Sox in 2002, he’d previously worked as a coach in the Brewers farm system as a hitting instructor. The Brewers were, notably, the last team for which the native of San Dimas, California played.
As many have astutely pointed out, Reed is younger than Albert Pujols, one of the Angels’ most respected hitters. Regardless, Reed will surely bring a certain sophistication and modern approach to the job. Many players in the Angels organization have lauded him for his ability to improve the fundamentals of young hitters. Most famously, he helped Kole Calhoun improve his stance and offensive approach last season.
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Pitching coach Doug White and Reed will now newly appointed manager Brad Ausmus as the coaching staff of a highly enigmatic, pressure driven Angels staff. They’ll surely have a lot of work to do in the upcoming offseason, with coaching decisions and budget choices ruling their complex upcoming task. Regardless, it’ll be an interesting story to follow as the offseason progresses.