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This time, team calls up a coach
Nationals notebook
Date published: 8/28/2008
BY RICH CAMPBELL WASHINGTON-- Hitting coach Lenny Harris will have some company during the last month of the season as the Washington Nationals try to avoid finishing as baseball's worst offense.Rick Eckstein, the hitting coach at Triple-A Columbus and the third base coach for the U.S. Olympic team, will be added to the Nationals' coaching staff next week. Eckstein joined the club yesterday after returning from Beijing on Monday. Columbus' season ends on Sept. 1, the day major-league teams are allowed to add an additional coach. Rather than return to Columbus for only a couple days, he came to Washington to get acclimated. "There's a reason why [U.S. manager] Davey Johnson picked him to be one of his coaches on the Olympic team--because he's that good," Nationals general manager Jim Bowden said. "We've been very impressed by all aspects of his work ethic. Whether he's teaching hitting or whether he's doing infield or any way he's contributing, he's just a baseball rat that loves the game. He's highly intelligent and well-respected by the players. We think he brings something special to the table." Eckstein, the brother of former World Series MVP David Eckstein, helped Columbus begin yesterday with a .264 team average, the seventh-best mark in the 14-team International League. He will help coach a Nationals offense that ranks among the worst in the majors in many significant statistical categories. Entering yesterday, Washington ranked last in runs per game (3.7) and 29th out of 30 teams in batting average (.240). Asked what his duties will be, Eckstein said: "Just assisting [manager] Manny [Acta] and the coaching staff in any way. Batting practice, video work, whatever." Eckstein has never been a full-time major-league hitting coach. He was added to the St. Louis Cardinals' staff last September after spending most of the year with Triple-A Memphis. He was a minor league hitting coach in Washington's organization from 2004-2006. In the clubhouse before yesterday's game, Eckstein caught up with several players he coached this season at Columbus.
Date published: 8/28/2008
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