Pitching coach Dave Wallace and hitting coach Ron Jackson will not be back with the club next year. (link) (Fire Brand biographies of the coaches)
Wallace had most of the season robbed by hip replacement surgery. Don’t be surprised to see Al Nipper return to the role of pitching coach – I got the feeling Francona and Nipper worked well.
As for Ron Jackson, the man who masterminded the greatest offense in history (yes, even better than the 1927 Yankees – look it up) is now gone. Criticism of Jackson mostly was due to the fact that while he was always there for you, he could not help you if you were hitting bad. He was always available and always able to keep you hitting good, but he was not adept at reversing slumps.
Will Mike Barnett become our hitting coach? He was the hitting coach for the Blue Jays in 2005 before being dismissed and joining the Red Sox as a hitting instructor specializing in video. Jackson chafed at Barnett’s presence, and Barnett was not brought back for 2006.
Stay tuned…
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