Houston Astros name Tom McCraw hitting coach / Oct 21
Sports Ticker
SPORTSTICKER BASEBALL NOTE
The Houston Astros continued to fill out their staff under new
manager Larry Dierker today when they named Tom McCraw hitting
coach.
McCraw, fired after five years as the hitting coach of the New
York Mets, will be entering his 38th season in pro baseball. He
played a total of 13 seasons with the Chicago White Sox,
Washington Senators, California Angels and Cleveland Indians.
"Tom brings a wealth of experience as a major-league hitting
instructor," said general manager Gerry Hunsicker, who was
familir with McCraw from his days with the Mets. "He is
especially outstanding at dealing with the mental side of
hitting. He has the ability to deal effectively with different
personalities and is respected by his players."
The Mets' team batting average of .270 was tied with the Atlanta
Braves for second in the National League. In their first year
under the tutelage of McCraw, veterans Bernard Gilkey and Lance
Johnson had the best seasons of their career in 1996, and Todd
Hundley hit 41 homers to set a major-league record for catchers.
After the Astros collapsed in September and missed the playoffs,
manager Terry Collins was fired and replaced on October 4th by
Dierker, who has no managing experience and had spent the last
17 years as a broadcaster.
Earlier this month, former Astros outfielder Jose Cruz was named
first-base coach and former catcher Andy Ashby bullpen coach.
When Collins was fired, third-base coach Matt Galante was named
special assistant to Hunsicker and Julio Linares, Collins' bench
coach, was re-assigned within the organization.