Giants to Reportedly Name Reds Assistant Donnie Ecker Their New Hitting Coach
The San Francisco Giants finished near the bottom of the league in offense in 2019.
That usually means a change at hitting coach is necessary and that is reportedly the case for the 2020 season.
Sources: #Reds assistant hitting coach Donnie Ecker will be named the #SFGiants big-league hitting coach
— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) December 6, 2019
Donnie Ecker is only 33 years old and represents a new generation of MLB coaches. He comes over from the Cincinnati Reds, where he spent two seasons.
The Reds were down near the Giants in terms of offense in 2019, but clearly Ecker has shown something to warrant this promotion by the Giants.
MLB teams are taking new approaches to hitting and a younger coach like Ecker can even provide the benefit of being able to connect with the players on a personal level.
The days of "the hitting coach doesn't really do much" are over, folks. Donnie Ecker is going to be extremely hands on, using the latest technology and data to assist hitters. Ecker is 33 and from Los Altos. #SFGiants https://t.co/EC1Ffy8qxP
— Ben Kaspick (@BenKaspick) December 6, 2019
New voices are a good thing and Ecker has a chance to bring a different approach to what should be a very young Giants team next season.
Hitting coach is a results-based job so he will be tying his future to the Giants' 2020 ranks in BA, OBP and power statistics. The same is true for manager Gabe Kapler, who comes to the Bay Area after only two seasons in Philadelphia.