Just in case any Cubs fans are listening, I have to mention the club owes Alfonso Soriano $72 million. And they're paying their hitting coach quite a bit of money, too. Via ESPNChicago.com:
Will Hitting Coach Unlock Alfonso Soriano’s Bat In 2011?
The Chicago Cubs believed Rudy Jaramillo was the top hitting coach in baseball, and they paid him like it before last season with a three-year, $2.42 million contract to lure him away from the Texas Rangers. An added bonus was Jaramillo's familiarity with the Cubs' inconsistent $136 million man, Alfonso Soriano, who spent two seasons in Texas with Jaramillo.
But not much changed -- at least statistically -- for Soriano under Jaramillo's tutelage in 2010.
Actually, Soriano improved quite a bit last year.
In 2009, he was just awful: .241/.303/.423 in a season that included only 117 games. In 2010, he batted .258/.322/.496 ... Still not good for a left fielder earning $18 million, but significantly better, statistically. Of course, most of that improvement was probably because he was healthier.
The problem last season was Soriano. It was that Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, both of whom hit (almost) brilliantly in 2009, were actually worse than league-average in 2010. Which isn't so bad if you're a shortstop or a catcher, but is really bad when you're a corner infielder.
Bottom line? Without Jaramillo in 2009, the Cubs finished 10th in the National League in OPS and 10th in scoring. With Jaramillo in 2010 -- and with most of the same hitters -- the Cubs finished 10th in the National League in OPS and 10th in scoring.
I won't argue that hitting coaches don't matter, or that Rudy Jaramillo isn't a good one. But when these things come up, it's awfully hard to find much evidence either way.
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