SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Hensley Meulens is not a miracle worker — no big-league hitting coach ever is — but the Rockies are hoping that the man nicknamed “Bam Bam” can put some boom in their bats.
“He’s impressive in a lot of ways,” manager Bud Black said Monday as the Rockies held their first full-squad workout of spring training. “First off, he’s got a great baseball mind and people skills. His content and his credibility as a coach are truly legit.”
Meulens, 55, certainly has an impressive resume. He was on the San Francisco Giants staff when they won three World Series titles, serving as hitting coach (2010-17) and bench coach (2018-19). He became the bench coach for the Mets in 2020 and was the Yankees’ assistant hitting coach last season. He interviewed for the Yankees’ managerial job in 2017 and aspires to manage in the majors.
For now, Meulens, who replaced Dave Magadan, is charged with resuscitating one of the worst offenses in the majors.
“First of all, the players are all going to get a clean slate this year,” Meulens said. “I will get to know them, they will get to know me, and we’ll work out an individual plan for everyone.”
Despite playing half of their games at the hitter’s paradise known as Coors Field, the Rockies hit just .254 last season, their second-lowest mark behind only the 2021 club (.249). Colorado finished the season with a .398 slugging percentage, the first time in franchise history that it slugged below .400.
The Rockies’ power outage was illustrated by a damning statistic: Their 149 home runs were tied for the eighth-fewest in the majors and were the second-fewest for an entire season in franchise history behind the expansion 1993 club (142).
And, of course, Meulens must try to improve the Rockies’ road offense, something that’s been an albatross for many Colorado hitting coaches. Last season, Colorado hit .225 on the road (25th in the majors), scored 242 runs (last) and hit just 51 home runs (last).
Meulens, a native of Curaçao who played parts of seven seasons in the majors, is not bringing any radical ideas to Colorado. He just wants smart, competitive at-bats, home or road.
“You should be the same hitter no matter where you play,” he said. “You can hit at Coors Field, Dodger Stadium, Yankee Stadium … you should be able to hit anywhere. We aren’t emphasizing the negative. Hopefully, with the right type of preparation, we can solve some of our problems on the road. We’ll work to find a plan for every hitter and then we have to figure out how they can be successful, no matter what the situation is.”
The Rockies interviewed three internal and four external candidates before deciding on Meulens, both for his expertise and his people skills.
“I asked around and talked to a lot of people, like (former Giants manager) Bruce Bochy, amongst others, who had worked with Bam Bam,” Black said. “They all had great things to say about him. He’s a great coach.”
Meulens came to the Rockies’ Salt River Fields complex last month and got to know some of the players who were already working out there. Third baseman Ryan McMahon, looking to improve on a 2022 season in which he slashed .246/.327/.414 and hit 20 home runs, said Muelens is a good hire.
“He’s been on a lot of winning teams and being around him for a couple of weeks I can see why,” McMahon said. “He’s very personal and very approachable. And one of the things I think guys are going to like about him is that he treats you like a professional. I get the feeling that he’s here to make us better.
“He’s not going to be a coach who just writes up his report and goes home. He’s going to help you grind through the season. I appreciate that and I think the other guys will, too.”
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