A less-discussed part of the Chicago Cubs’ (seemingly annual) hitting coach shakeup was the move at assistant hitting coach. When Mike Brumley was moved out of the job, and Bill Mueller thereafter elected to leave the organization, the Cubs brought in John Mallee to be the new hitting coach and installed Eric Hinske as the new assistant hitting coach.
Hinske, 37, had just finished his playing days when the Cubs and Rick Renteria tapped him to be the new first base coach last year. Clearly, his skills were well-received, as the Cubs looked to retain him and perhaps optimize his value to the organization in the assistant hitting coach role.
Just as clearly, Hinske’s abilities as a coach were valued elsewhere in the league, because the New York Yankees came calling to see if Hinske would be interested in their open hitting coach job. According to the New York Post, Hinske said no thanks.
To be sure, the Yankees were just gauging Hinske’s interest, and there could be a number of reasons he passed on the opportunity, but I’m going to choose to believe that it’s because he sees what is coming with the Cubs, and wants to be a part of it. Even if that means passing up on a chance to be the lead hitting coach elsewhere – and with the Yankees, no less.
That’s just awesome.