The Marlins are hiring James Rowson as their new bench coach and offensive coordinator, according to a tweet from ESPN’s Jeff Passan (link). His role as “offensive coordinator,” a term typically associated with the NFL, will see him implement hitting philosophies throughout various levels of the organization, per the report.
Rowson most recently served as hitting coach for the “Bomba Squad” Twins, who collected a record 307 home runs in 2019. Before his hire in Minnesota in 2017, Rowson worked with as a minor league hitting coordinator with the Cubs and Yankees, logging a few months of MLB hitting coach experience when he took over for Rudy Jaramillo in Chicago in 2012.
Rowson, a former ninth-round pick of the Mariners in the ’90s, will look to ignite a Miami offense that struggled mightily in 2019. The club’s collective .241/.298/.375 line indicated that the rebuilding Marlins failed to get on base or drive the ball with consistency, as a collection of veterans (Curtis Granderson, Martin Prado) and underperforming youngsters (Lewis Brinson, Isan Diaz) contributed to a cumulative club 79 wRC+. The Bronx-bred Rowson will, however, have above-average performers in Brian Anderson and Garrett Cooper at his disposal, while young players like Jorge Alfaro and rising prospects such as Jazz Chisholm and Jesus Sanchez all offer the potential for breakout.
That’s a bummer for the Twins.
Sure, that’s a bummer. But what else is a bummer is that General Leia Organa, Poe Dameron, and Kylo Ren die in the upcoming Star Wars movie.
No what’s really a bummer is that Rose kills them all.
I can’t wait for Episode 9 to come out… when it finally hits, it won’t be but a little bit longer before we get to watch YouTube videos tearing it to shreds.
you might be the only one broken up by that.
NOOOO!!!!! That’s the one guy I wanted to stay along with Shelton and Johnson and Baldelli.
Weird comment
So, what you’re trying to say is that he’s one of the four guys you wanted to stay…
Offensive Coordinator?
Wrong sport…..
I was thinking the same exact thing.
It’s the Marlins. But – don’t managers get to hire their own bench coaches anymore?
LETS GO MIAMI!!!!!! 305 ON THE RISE BABY!!!!! GREAT PICKUP!!
“Offensive Coordinator”? Is he supposed to improve the Marlins’ passing attack?
Rosen will benefit, but this was really done with Tua in mind.
Solid signing. Would’ve loved to see him replace Steverson on the South Side.
The players are still horrible though. The marlins tear down to get prospects and they have all pretty much been bad. Meanwhile, the Braves, Mets and Nationals have each brought up 2 everyday players who will be there for years.
And yet they still have a top farm system that was solidified by a great draft. Anderson is great, Cooper and Alfaro have the potential to be solid, Rojas won’t light the world on fire but is great defensively and does enough offensively, and Diaz has the makings of a good, maybe great, 2B. Plus people much smarter than you have said that Alcantara has the makings of an ace and Yamamoto can be a solid mid rotation starter. It’s okay to say you have no idea what you’re talking about!
You know it’s the slow time of year in MLB Trade Rumors when a bench coach signing is the biggest headline.
Like 99% of coaching changes in baseball, this itself will likely result in nothing. The 2012 Cubs were just as bad with Rowson as they were with Jaramillo, and while there may be individual player differences between the 2018-2019 (Garver), most of the difference in team-wide performance came as a direct result of replacing individuals for more productive ones.
yeah, but some of the new guys who had good seasons improved from the previous season as well. can also imagine Ploanco, Kepler, Garver, and Arraez could have been helped some buy the hitting coach.
Whatever title they give him Jeter strikes again and steals an ex-Yankee coach they are loyal to The Captain I’ll give him that
Well dang.
For players like Austin Dean a guy like this can turn him into a 40 HR guy a year.