Could Yankees Have Interest In Rays’ Hitting Coach?

With Joe Maddon stunning the baseball world Friday by leaving the Tampa Bay Rays, this leaves the rest of his coaching staff in limbo. 

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As everyone knows, the Yankees are searching for a new hitting coach to replace Kevin Long. The have already lost Chili Davis to the Red Sox, decided Dave Magadan wasn’t right for the job, and have been turned down by Eric Hinske. Now, with Maddon out in Tampa Bay, and a possible coaching shakeup looming, could the Yankees have interest in Rays’ hitting coach, Derek Shelton?

Shelton has been the Rays’ hitting coach since the 2010 season. He also has a history in the Yankees’ minor league system. Not only was he a catcher in the Yankees’ organization in the early 90’s, who got to see Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera up close before the world even knew who they were, he was also Robinson Cano‘s first big league manager with the Gulf Coast League Yankees as well.

A couple of other names surrounding the position are current Yankees’ minor league hitting coach James Rowson (who was briefly the Cubs’ hitting coach in 2012), and former major leaguer, and a good friend of manager Joe Girardi, Dante Bichette.

It will be interesting to see how, and when things play out.