Hitting coach Jaramillo suddenly sought-after free agent - MLB

Rudy Jaramillo has spent the past 15 years as the hitting coach in Texas, but he’s now a free agent after leaving the Rangers earlier this week:

I’m not going to be in this position very often, and I don’t know what’s going to happen with the Rangers and the ownership situation. I didn’t want to retire and look back with regret that I didn’t take this opportunity. I’m not bitter or anything. This is my decision. I want to go out there and see where I stand in the game.

Jaramillo is reportedly looking for a multi-year contract rather than the one-year deal offered by the Rangers and he’s likely to get it, as multiple teams are already said to be in the mix for one of the most successful, longest-tenured hitting coaches in baseball history.
Before landing in Arlington he coached a Rookie of the Year named Jeff Bagwell in Houston and Jaramillo has presided over Rangers hitters winning four MVP awards, as Juan Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez, Alex Rodriguez, Michael Young, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark Teixeira, Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton, Rusty Greer, Hank Blalock, and most recently Nelson Cruz are just some of the players who’ve thrived under his tutelage.
In his 15 seasons on the job the Rangers have ranked among the league’s top three in scoring five times while ranking below average just twice. On the other hand the hitter-friendly ballpark in Texas has played a huge part in those numbers and even after 15 years of prolonged success the Rangers’ management still had some public criticisms about the team’s situational hitting this season, which perhaps made Jaramillo’s decision to leave a bit easier.
We’ve come a long way in terms of analyzing the impact of everything on the field, but evaluating the impact of coaches remains focused on reputations and guesswork. Jaramillo is generally considered one of the best hitting coaches around and he’s about to be paid like someone who’ll make an immediate impact on his new team’s offense, but as Leo Mazzone’s struggles in Baltimore showed even the best coaches can’t always transfer their success to new homes.

PITTSBURGH — The New York Mets will have to dig out of an early-season hole without star first baseman Pete Alonso.

The leading home run hitter in the majors will miss three-to-four weeks with a bone bruise and a sprain in his left wrist.

The Mets placed Alonso on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to June 8. Alonso was hit in the wrist by a 96 mph fastball from Charlie Morton in the first inning of a 7-5 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.

Alonso traveled to New York for testing on Thursday. X-rays revealed no broken bones, but the Mets will be missing one of the premier power hitters in the game as they try to work their way back into contention in the NL East.

“We got better news than it could have been,” New York manager Buck Showalter said. “So we take that as a positive. It could have been worse.”

New York had lost six straight heading into a three-game series at Pittsburgh that began Friday. Mark Canha started at first for the Mets in the opener. Mark Vientos could also be an option, though Showalter said the coaching staff may have to use its “imagination” in thinking of ways to get by without Alonso.

“I’m not going to say someone has to step up and all that stuff,” Showalter said. “You’ve just got to be who you are.”

Even with Alonso in the lineup, the Mets have struggled to score consistently. New York is 16th in the majors in runs scored.

The team also said Friday that reliever Edwin Uceta had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Uceta initially went on the IL in April with what the team called a sprained left ankle. He is expected to be out for at least an additional eight weeks.

New York recalled infielder Luis Guillorme and left-handed reliever Zach Muckenhirn from Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets sent catcher Tomás Nido to Triple-A and designated reliever Stephen Nogosek for assignment.

Nogosek is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 13 games this season.