New Yankees hitting coach: Gregorius has a great future

According to Jeff Pentland, the new hitting coach of the New York Yankees, Didi Gregorus has a great future.

I still have my doubt if Pentland is the right guy, but time will tell. Gary Sheffield, who worked with Pentland when he played for the Marlins, is very positive about Pentland. Sheffield stated in the New York Post:

“He is the best, the best,’’ Gary Sheffield says of Pentland, who worked with Sheffield with the Marlins in 1996, when the outfielder batted .314 with 42 homers, 120 RBIs and led the NL with a .465 on-base percentage and a 1.090 OPS. “He is very good at getting you mentally prepared for every game. I like him.’’

In an interview with YES network, Pentland said the following about Gregorius:

“He’s got a huge future and I’m very excited he’s a Yankee. He’s an incredibly athletic player and I’ve always thought there’s a lot in there. We’ve got to get it out.He started off very well, but just like most young hitters, they figure them out eventually,” Pentland said. “The problem with young players is, you have to be more patient.”

Pentland claims that he is really looking forward to work with Gregorius.

Gregorius hit .252 as a rookie in 2013, but struggled in 2014. An overall batting average of .226 and .137 against southpaws was the result of an uncertain sitiuation. After being sent down to Reno, he struggled in the beginning. He fought his way back at AAA level and after being called up the Diamondbacks platooned him and Chris Owings at short stop. This “experiment” didn’t pan out well for both of them. Brian Cashman acknowledged when Gregorius was acquired that the Yankees see a lot of potential in the shortstop, and Pentland confirmed that even if he does have future success, it might not come right away.

Here is a nice introduction of Gregorius.