MLB Network’s Jon Heyman has reported that the Cleveland Guardians are expected to make Chris Valaika their next hitting coach. The Athletic’s Zack Meisel confirmed the report, and also noted that Padres hitting coach Jay Washington was another candidate.
Valaika enjoyed a brief playing career in the early 2010’s before being picked up by the Cubs as a low-level hitting instructor and working his way up to assistant hitting coach. I can’t sit here and pretend like I know much about him, so here is an excerpt from Bleacher Nation, a Cubs blog, about how Valaika impacted the Cubs’ hitting development during his time there.