Changing approach, Cubs hire Deer as assistant hitting coach

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Following a trend, the Cubs have hired Rob Deer as an assistant hitting coach, adding another voice as they try to reshape their organization.

Deer will work closely with hitting coach James Rowsonwho replaced Rudy Jaramillo in the middle of last season and earned the job full-timeas well as manager Dale Sveum. The Cubs confirmed the hire on Monday, which could be the beginning of a busy week leading into the winter meetings at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tenn.

Sveuma former hitting coach and Deers teammate on the Milwaukee Brewers from 1986 through 1990has strong opinions about what the Cubs should be doing at the plate.

So does team president Theo Epstein, who wants to see hitters grinding out at-bats, like those Boston Red Sox teams that played deep into October. Since coming to the North Side, Epstein has described the lack of focus on plate discipline and on-base percentage as an institutional problem.

Trying to gain an edge, the San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies are among the teams that have used two hitting coaches andor will be structuring their staff that way in 2013.

Like Rowsonwho used to be the minor-league hitting coordinator for the New York YankeesDeer has experience dealing with young hitters. Deer, 52, had worked as a roving hitting instructor for San Diegos system, and also developed the Viz-U-Bat training device.

Deer hit .220 with 230 home runs, 575 walks and 1,409 strikeouts during his major-league career. He led the American League in strikeouts four times, but also appeared on the leader board at different points for homers, walks and slugging percentage. Coming off a 101-loss season, the Cubs need to improve in all those areas.

Baseball Prospectus once described Deer as the king of Three True Outcomes, meaning each at-bat would typically end with a home run, walk or strikeout. Those experiences will inform the next generation of hitters at Wrigley Field.

I dont teach the way I hit, Deer told Baseball Prospectus during a 2009 interview. I'm a big guy who understands the importance of using the whole field and wants hitters to understand a two-strike approach. Those are the things I implemented in my hitting system.

I tried to teach (the) things I couldnt do. I didnt have a two-strike approach when I played, so I try to make that an important part of teaching. I didnt hit the ball the other way, so I try to make them more complete hitters by having them do something I couldnt do.

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