ESPN.com is reporting that Mark McGwire is going to be the next hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Is this really a good idea?
Listen, I don't even care about the steroids issue. Seriously, I don't. What McGwire did was probably illegal by the laws of the country, but not by the rules of baseball. While that doesn't justify what he did, I sometimes feel that McGwire is being unfairly criticized as the poster child for something that a lot more people were doing as well. Baseball also turned a blind eye to the whole thing when they could have easily stepped in.
The reason that I'm questioning this move is because McGwire wasn't that good of a hitter. His career average was .263, and that would be a heck of a lot lower without all the home runs he hit late in his career. He's arguably the most one-dimensional hitter of all time, and I'm saying this as a McGwire fan.
I just don't know that I want a guy who had more homers than singles one season as the guy instructing my players on the finer art of hitting. If you throw in the whole steroids issue, I think this makes it an even worse move.
I'm not sure its safe to project a guy's ability to coach based on his performance as a player. From what I understand, Ted Williams wasn't a very good coach.
ReplyDeleteI haven't looked at a list of major league hitting coaches, but I'd wager that most of them weren't distinguished hitters.
I have heard that McGwire's been working individually with some guys, so maybe he's getting results. Would have been interesting to see him make his way up the minors, a la Ryne Sandberg.
Nice to see McGwire get a shot at rehabilitating himself. The third baseman for the Yankees seems to be fully rehabbed already.
I should have remembered this before I posted my comment. I'd like to see McGwire answer the inevitable first question at his first press conference by quoting himself from "The Simpsons":
ReplyDelete"Do you want to know the terrifying truth, or do you want to see me sock a few dingers?
You have a good point Pete. Maybe I shouldn't judge McGwire based on his on the field performance. Some of the best managers weren't good players at all, so I was probably a bit off base.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, there's something about McGwire that doesn't sit right with me. Again, I was and am a McGwire fan. I just see this being a big headache for the Cardinals. Then again, as a Reds fan, perhaps I should be happy if the Cardinals mess this one up.
McGwire had a terrific eye at the plate. Even in the seasons in which he was injured/struggling he drew more than his fair share of walks. He also had a very short, compact swing. I think both attributes will serve him well as a hitting coach.
ReplyDelete