Red Sox looking at several names to fill open hitting coach role

By Maureen Mullen / Boston.com

PHOTO: Former Sox third baseman Bill Mueller is one of a multitude of candidates for their open hitting coach position.

When Red Sox hitting coach Greg Colbrunn resigned after this season it wasn’t much of a surprise. Colbrunn, 45, had just completed his second season in the position. He helped the Sox to a World Series title last year, when his hitters led the majors with 853 runs scored and a .795 OPS. But, in the abysmal 2014 season, the Sox scored just 634 runs, better than only three other AL teams, and recorded a .684 OPS, better than only Seattle in the AL.

Colbrunn -- who played for parts of 13 seasons with the Expos, Marlins, Twins, Braves, Rockies, Diamondbacks, and Mariners -- also dealt with a serious health issue this year. He suffered a brain hemorrhage on June 4, while the team was in Cleveland and was away from the team for more than three weeks, while his travel was limited until after the All-Star break.

Now, the Sox must find his replacement. A few of the potential candidates:

• Chili Davis, 54, just finished his third season as the A’s hitting coach. He served the same role for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2011. Prior to that he was the hitting coach for the Australian National team in 2003-2004 and a part-time instructor for the Dodgers’ instructional league team in 2010.

An 11th-round pick of the Giants in 1977, the switch-hitter batted .274/.360/.451 over 19 seasons with the Giants, Angels, Twins, Royals, and Yankees. He was a three-time All-Star and member of three World Series teams, with the Twins and Yankees. Davis is also a candidate for the Yankees job, according to mlb.com.

• Rich Gedman, 55, just completed his fourth season as a hitting coach in the Sox organization, the last two with Double-A Portland after a year each with High-A Salem and Low-A Lowell. He managed the independent Worcester Tornadoes for six seasons before that and was a bench coach for the independent North Shore Spirit before that.

A Worcester native who signed with the Sox as an undrafted free agent in 1977, in 13 major league seasons with the Sox, Cardinals, and Astros, Gedman was a two-time All-Star and hit .252/.304/.399. He was a member of the Sox 1986 AL championship team.

• Tim Hyers, 43, just completed his second season as the Sox’ minor league hitting coordinator. Prior to that he was the team’s area scout in Georgia from 2009-2012, and hitting coach for the Tigers’ Single-A affiliate in 2002. In parts of four major league seasons, Hyers, a second-round pick of the Blue Jays in 1990, hit .217/.298/.585.

Hyers spent about two months with the Sox this past season while Colbrunn was recovering.

• Kevin Long, 47, was dismissed as the Yankees hitting coach last week after eight seasons. In 2014, the Yankees scored just 633 runs, third-fewest in the AL -- after leading the majors in three of his previous seven seasons -- and recorded a .687 OPS, better than only three AL teams. Prior to his stint with the Yankees, Long had been the hitting coach for their Triple-A affiliate for three seasons and in the Royals’ organization for four. He was named the Northwest League’s co-manager of the year in 1999.

A 31st-round pick of the Royals in 1989, he did not play in the majors, but hit .273/.350/.365 in parts of eight minor league seasons. He wrote "Cage Rat," a guide to hitting, in 2011, with an accompanying video.

• Dave Magadan, 52, just finished his second season as the Rangers’ hitting coach. Prior to that, he was the Sox hitting coach from 2007-2012, helping the team to a World Series in his first season. He began his coaching career in the Padres organization in 2002 and was the major league hitting coach from 2003 until June 2006.

In parts of 16 seasons with the Mets, Padres, A’s, Marlins, Cubs, Mariners, and Astros, Magadan, a second-round pick of the Mets in 1983, hit .288/.390/.377. He is also reportedly a candidate for the Yankees job.

• Bill Mueller, 43, recently resigned as the Cubs hitting coach following his first full-time season in the majors. In 2007 he was the Dodgers interim hitting coach, beginning in June. In between, he worked in the Dodgers front office.

A 15th-round pick of the Giants in 1993, Mueller hit .291/.373/.425 in parts of 11 seasons with the Giants, Red Sox, Cubs, and Dodgers. He won a batting title in 2003 with the Sox when he hit .326 and was a member of the Sox 2004 World Series team.

• Paul Sorrento, 48, just completed his third season with the Angels organization, two of them spent as their minor league hitting coordinator. Prior to that he was the hitting coach for their High-A affiliate.

Sorrento was a fourth-round pick of the Angels in 1986. In parts of 11 seasons with the Twins, Indians, Mariners and (then Devil) Rays, he hit .257/.340/.457. He won a World Series with the Twins in 1991 and an AL championship with the Indians in 1995. A native of Somerville, Sorrento recorded the first hit at Camden Yards with a single on April 6, 1992, the first grand slam at Jacobs Field on May 9, 1994, and was the designated hitter for the Devil Rays’ first game on March 31, 1998.

The Sox are also expected to utilize an assistant hitting coach. It is not certain if Victor Rodriguez, who has been in that position for the last two seasons, will continue in the role.

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