Padres to hire Victor Rodriguez as hitting coach

The Padres are hiring Victor Rodriguez as hitting coach, according to a report from independent journalist Francys Romero.

Rodriguez, 61, had a 19-year professional career as an infielder that included two brief cups of coffee at the major league level; one in 1984 at the age of 22 with the Orioles, and one in 1987 as a 27-year-old with the Twins. While he received just 28 plate appearances at the big league level, he hit quite well in those limited opportunities with a career of .429/.429/.607 slash line in the majors. Rodriguez retired from professional play in 1995 and began coaching at the minor league level the following season.

After more than three decades in the minor leagues as a player and a coach, Rodriguez joined the Red Sox coaching staff as an assistant hitting coach in 2013. After winning the World Series with Boston in his first year on the job, Rodriguez spent four more seasons with the Red Sox in that same role before departing for Cleveland following the 2018 season to replace current Royals manager Matt Quatraro as the club’s assistant hitting coach. Rodriguez has been in Cleveland ever since, but after six years he’ll now depart the Guardians for San Diego. Rodriguez will join the coaching staff of new Padres manager Mike Shildt, who took the role last month after former manager Bob Melvin was allowed to depart to take a managerial gig in San Francisco.

Little has been made public about Shildt’s coaching staff since. Bench coach Ryan Flaherty has since departed to join Craig Counsell’s coaching staff on the north side of Chicago while pitching coach Ruben Niebla and bullpen coach Ben Fritz are expected to remain in San Diego. Martinez serves as something of a replacement for Flaherty, who served as the club’s offensive coordinator in addition to his duties as bench coach last year. Per Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Martinez will be joined on the hitting staff by assistant hitting coaches Oscar Bernard and Scott Coolbaugh, both of whom are expected to return to San Diego under Shildt in 2024 alongside Niebla and Fritz. Presumably, the remainder of Shildt’s coaching staff, including the bench coach role, will come into focus over the coming weeks as the Padres gear up for spring training two months from now.