The Yankees have found their guy, or rather guys. They have decided that two hitting coaches are better than one; hiring Jeff Pentland as the main coach and Alan Cockrell as an assistant. Pentland is 68 years old with a long resume in the MLB. He has served as hitting coach for five teams, most recently the Dodgers in 2011. He was the hitting coordinator for the Marlins last season. He and Joe Girardi were with the Cubs at the same time, Pentland as hitting coach and Girardi as a player. He has worked with the likes of Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, Carlos Beltran, Matt Kemp and Sammy Sosa.
Cockrell, 52, has been the hitting coach with the Rockies and Mariners until being relieved of duties in 2010. Along with Pentland and Cockrell, the Yanks have hired Joe Espada to take over for Mick Kelleher as the infield coach. Espada was the third base coach for the Marlins in 2013 and last season was a special assistant to Brian Cashman.
The Yankees have never gone with dual hitting coaches before, but with it gaining popularity in the league and the lack of offense last season, it can’t hurt to try.
