The Cincinnati Reds have appointed top experienced draft pick as their new hitting coach and director of hitting. He joins from the Cleveland Guardians, where he served as hitting coach for three seasons, and before that, he was an assistant hitting coach with the Chicago Cubs.
He originally a 3rd-round draft pick by the Reds in 2006 out of UC Santa Barbara, made a strong debut with the Billings Mustangs, recording a 32-game hitting streak, which set a Pioneer League record at the time, and hitting .324/.387/.520, earning him the league MVP award.
He progressed through the Reds’ farm system and debuted in the majors in August 2010, playing 19 games that season and 14 more in 2011. His time with the Reds was brief, and after hitting .270/.303/.381 in Cincinnati, he became a free agent following the 2012 season. Valaika then signed with the Miami Marlins, appearing in 22 games in 2013, and after another stint in free agency, he joined the Cubs in 2014, playing in 44 games before his MLB career concluded. He re-signed with the Cubs in 2015, playing in Triple-A and hitting .267/.324/.401 before retiring as a player and returning to the Cubs as a coach two years later.
In Cleveland, under Valaika’s guidance, the Guardians ranked 17th, 24th, and 17th in MLB in wRC+, with an emphasis on making contact, leading the league in contact twice and ranking 5th another season. However, it’s worth considering that their high contact rates didn’t consistently lead to high production, raising questions about whether contact alone was sufficient for their lineup.
Every team has different strengths, and a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. For instance, Elly De La Cruz’s power-hitting style won’t mirror Steven Kwan’s contact-driven approach, and vice versa. New manager Terry Francona, who knows Valaika’s style, is likely considering whether the Guardians’ lack of production stemmed more from player makeup than from coaching.
If Valaika can boost the Reds’ contact rates, it could benefit the lineup. However, as Cleveland’s recent performance showed, high contact doesn’t always equate to top-tier offensive results. Reds fans will be hoping the Reds’ production reflects more on player potential than coaching limitations.
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