The struggling Colorado Rockies, with the worst record in Major League Baseball, have decided to shake things up in hopes of sparking their stagnant offense.
Hitting coach Hensley Meulens was let go on Thursday and has been replaced by former Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, who previously served as a special assistant to the general manager.
With a dismal 3-15 record as of Thursday, the Rockies rank fourth-worst in team batting average in the National League (.220) and third-worst in team OPS (.629). They have the second-highest number of strikeouts in MLB at 195, are tied for the second-fewest home runs with 12, and sit at the bottom of the league with only 52 runs scored.
Meulens had been the Rockies’ hitting coach for three years, joining the team before the 2023 season. Last year, the Rockies posted their worst-ever team batting average of .242 and OPS of .704.
Hurdle will step in as the interim hitting coach for the remainder of the season, as announced by the team.
“This has been an incredibly frustrating and disappointing start to the season, especially offensively,” said Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt in a statement. “While we all take responsibility, I believed a change was necessary to bring in a fresh perspective and give us the best chance to turn things around.”
“Clint’s extensive 30-plus years of baseball experience, particularly his work with our young players in the Minor Leagues over the past few seasons, positions him and our team well for success going forward.”
Hurdle previously managed the Rockies from 2002-09, taking over after Buddy Bell’s departure. Under his leadership, the Rockies reached the 2007 World Series, ultimately falling to the Boston Red Sox in four games. During his eight-year tenure as manager, Hurdle accumulated a record of 534-625.
Prior to his managerial role, Hurdle served as the hitting coach for the Rockies for five seasons and spent three years as the organization’s minor league hitting instructor. He has been working as a special assistant to Schmidt since 2022.
Meulens has been coaching at the major league level since 2010 with the San Francisco Giants, where he was the hitting coach for the Giants’ three World Series victories in 2010, 2012, and 2014. He also held coaching positions with the New York Mets and New York Yankees before joining the Rockies.
Notably, Meulens was investigated by the FAA a year ago for being in the cockpit of the team’s charter plane during a flight from Denver to Toronto.