Rockies make 2 additions to big league staff
DENVER -- The Rockies hired as their new hitting coach Hensley “Bam Bam” Meulens, who held the post for the Giants through three World Series titles and spent 2022 as the Yankees’ assistant hitting coach, and they promoted Triple-A Albuquerque manager Warren Schaeffer to the Major League staff as third-base/infield coach, the club announced Monday.
Meulens and Schaeffer replace, respectively, Dave Magadan and Stu Cole, who were not retained after the team’s 68-94, last-place finish in the National League West in 2022.
After an 11-season career in the Majors, Japan and Korea, Meulens, 55, began his coaching career in 2003 at Bluefield (W.Va.), an Orioles’ Rookie-level club, and eventually worked his way up to the Majors with the Giants in 2010. He was part of three World Series championship teams in his first five seasons and stayed with the club through 2019. He interviewed for the Yankees’ managerial post after the 2017 season, served as the Mets’ bench coach in 2020 and then joined the Yankees’ staff in 2022.
Manager Bud Black said the club was impressed by the breadth of Meulens’ experience.
“He’s got a great personality,” Black said. “He’s been a manager. He managed in the World Baseball Classic [for the Netherlands in 2013]. He has those skills. He’s been a bench coach. He’s been a hitting coach. His offensive team in San Francisco won the World Series. His résumé speaks loudly to success.”
Meulens, who runs the Dutch Antilles Baseball Academy in his native Curaçao, will be assisted by Andy González and P.J. Pilitieri, who were assistants under Magadan.
The Rockies are turning to Meulens to approach the issue that has vexed them throughout their history -- dealing with two different environments: unique (and very hitter-friendly) atmospheric conditions in Denver, but traveling back and forth to sea-level venues. The wild swings in performance are natural, but some of the swings in 2022 were deemed unacceptable. Last year, the club led the Majors in home OPS at .803 but were last in the Majors in road OPS at .621.
Even more notable, the lack of power was rare in club history. The Rockies hit just 149 home runs overall (tied for 10th in the Majors), with 51 coming on the road (last in the Majors).
Black noted that Meulens’ experience was good preparation for Colorado.
“Those Giant teams had to battle coming back into San Francisco, where offense in those years was suppressed before they changed the dimensions,” Black said.
Schaeffer, 37, played collegiately at Virginia Tech before spending six seasons as a Minor League infielder in the Rockies’ system. He became a coach within the organization in 2013, and he has managed in the system for seven seasons, including the last two at Albuquerque. Schaeffer is also managing the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League.
“I’ve witnessed ‘Schaef’ in big league camp for four years, and once the seasons start we’re in communication, talking about players,” Black said. “I’ve seen a lot of growth. I’ve seen him work in Spring Training. The dialogue, watching him work with infielders and players, all those things add up to a guy who’s ready.”
Like Cole before him, Schaeffer will coach third base during games and be the point man for infield defense and positioning. Except for first baseman C.J. Cron, Schaeffer has worked with every current Rockies infielder, including 2022 Gold Glove Award winner Brendan Rodgers and Gold Glove finalist Ryan McMahon.
In that way, the move offers continuity with position players and pitchers who have come up through the system and are beginning their Major League careers.
“What I do is bring the same energy every day,” Schaeffer said. “I love to collaborate with the player to get the most out of him every day. We look at analytical data to get players better, and I put my heart and soul into it every day.”