Guardians' hitting coach poached by former manager

The Cleveland Guardians have found themselves in need of a new hitting coach. Chris Valaika is on to Cincinnati to join former Guardians manager Terry Francona as a member of the Reds organization. Valaika briefly played for Cincinnati during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Valaika came to Cleveland under Francona back in 2021 as their hitting coach to replace the departed Ty Van Burkleo. After years of their approach at the plate feeling stale, the Guardians experienced an improved offense with Valaika in the mix. It was a breath of fresh air, but it wouldn't last.

Cleveland's offensive output cratered in 2023. The Death by a Thousand Papercuts approach that was so successful in 2022 did not carry over, and the lack of power in the lineup proved to be too much of an obstacle for this team to be anything other than frustrating to watch.

2024 saw the Guardians' offense return to being productive, but some of the hallmarks of the previous two seasons were no longer present. This team was more aggressive at the plate, and that helped take a group that was near or at the bottom in the power department make their way up the list and be a team that was no longer easy to pitch against. Even though this did result in the Guardians having one of the best records in baseball in 2024, there were still some problems that became very obvious as the season progressed.

Patience at the plate seemed to disappear for a few players and that resulted in being relatively easy outs in the postseason. With the inconsistent offense during his time in Cleveland and the way things fizzled out late in 2024, it was obvious that some sort of change was going to be necessary.

Now that Valaika is down in Cincinnati, the Guardians and manager Stephen Vogt will have to determine who will replace him on his coaching staff. Considering the number of people who stayed on in Cleveland after Terry Francona stepped away as manager, this will give Vogt an opportunity to have some input on who he thinks will be the best fit to take over as the Guardians' hitting coach. This hire will have a major impact not only on next season but the trajectory of this team's offensive performance for years to come.