Report: Yankees, Rangers Both Receive Permission To Talk To Chili Davis
By Billy Brost
Earlier this afternoon, CBS Sports and MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman, reported via his official Twitter account, that both the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers have requested and received permission from the Oakland Athletics to speak with their hitting coach, Chili Davis, about each team’s vacant hitting coach position.
The A’s were in the top five in 2014 in runs scored, home runs, slugging percentage and on-base percentage under Davis’ watchful eye and direction. In a big league career that spanned 19 seasons, the final two in the Bronx and culminating with a pair of World Series rings in 1998 and 1999, Davis’ professionalism and work ethic come highly regarded around all of baseball. The Yankees dismissed long time hitting coach Kevin Long last week, along with first base coach Mick Kelleher in a coaching staff shakeup. They lost Trey Hillman yesterday to the Houston Astros, where he will serve A.J. Hinch as his bench coach.
[related-article]
In Davis’ career, he finished with 350 home runs, over 1300 runs driven in, and is known for his level of excellence and leadership both on the field and in the clubhouse. Davis if hired by the Yankees, would be taking over one of the most anemic lineups in baseball over the past two seasons. The Yankees just missed the postseason both seasons, despite registering negative run differentials in both 2013 and 2014.