New Hitting Coach

Today the Rays announced in a press release that the organization's sixth hitting coach will be former Cleveland hitting coach Derek Shelton.

Shelton becomes the youngest hitting coach in Rays' history at the tender age of 39, and is a former major league catcher (NYY).

Here are a few quotes from the press release:

"Derek has proven himself to be one of the better minds in baseball when it comes to hitting," Rays Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman said. "He brings a fresh voice that can help our talented core of hitters reach new heights. His attention to detail and ability to communicate will be great additions to our group."

"I believe he is the kind of coach who can create a hitting program that will benefit the organization both at the minor league and major league levels," said Rays Manager Joe Maddon. "In our conversations, I found that we share the same philosophy on a number of different areas. He was very clear and concise on his intentions and in the end it was an easy decision."