Per Jon Heyman of Fancred, the New York Mets have decided to hire Chili Davis as their next hitting coach. Heyman says that while “there may be a detail or two to be worked out,” he is their choice.
Davis, 58, played in the Major Leagues from 1981 to 1999 for the Giants, Angels, Twins, Royals, and Yankees. He racked up 2380 hits and 350 home runs to go with a .274/.360/.451 slash line. He was a three-time All-Star, and was on three World Series Championship teams; The Twins in 1991 and the Yankees in 1998 and 1999.
He has been a Major League hitting coach since 2012 when he worked for the Athletics. He was in Oakland through 2014, then flew across the country to serve as Red Sox hitting coach from 2015-2017. He was with the Cubs in 2018 and was relieved of duties following the season.
“Chili really has a good method regarding situations in general,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Davis. “[He has an] ability to really be heard. I was on the staff when he was a player, and even then, I thought he’d be a great coach. I like his methods. I like what he says and how he says it beyond theory. I’m talking about practicality, reality, the kind of things I think he can do in-game besides just the work. He has a great message, and he’s very good at delivering the message.”
Davis is expected to replace Pat Roessler who lasted only one season as the hitting coach. He had been the assistant hitting coach from 2015-2017.
