The Angels announced Monday that Eric Hinske has been hired as the club's new hitting coach. Hinske will fill the vacancy on the coaching staff left by Dave Hansen, who was dismissed earlier this month following a disappointing offensive performance from the Angels this season.
Hinske, 40, served as the Cubs' assistant hitting coach for the past three seasons. A former first baseman and outfielder, Hinske played for the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Rays, Pirates, Yankees, Braves and D-backs over his 12-year career in the Majors, batting .249 with a .762 OPS, 137 home runs and 522 RBIs in 1,387 career games.
Hinske made three consecutive trips to the World Series with the 2007 Red Sox, the '08 Rays and the '09 Yankees, winning championships with Boston and New York. He and Don Baylor are the only two players to play in three consecutive Fall Classics with three different teams.
The Cubs originally selected Hinske in the 17th round of the 1998 Draft out of the University of Arkansas. A native of Menasha, Wis., Hinske and his family currently reside in Scottsdale, Ariz.
In Anaheim, Hinske will be tasked with helping to repair the Angels' offense, which was one of the American League's worst units in 2017. The Halos ranked second-to-last in batting average, 11th in on-base percentage and last in slugging percentage, though the club still finished 80-82 and managed to stay alive in the Wild Card race until the final week of the regular season.
The rest of the Angels' coaching staff is expected to remain intact for 2018. Manager Mike Scioscia, bench coach Dino Ebel, pitching coach Charles Nagy, first-base coach Alfredo Griffin, third-base coach Ron Roenicke, catching and information coach Steve Soliz, assistant hitting coach Paul Sorrento and bullpen coach Scott Radinsky will all reprise their roles next season.