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Rays coach is close to home base

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By TONY FABRIZIO

afabrizio@tampatrib.com

Published: October 22, 2009

There were possibilities elsewhere, but Derek Shelton said he couldn't pass on the chance to coach a Tampa Bay Rays lineup that led the majors in stolen bases and set club records for home runs, walks and runs this season.

Never mind that he already lives in Wesley Chapel with his wife, Alison, and two children, Jackson and Isabella.

"This is the job I was most interested in for a multitude of reasons," Shelton said Wednesday after being named the Rays hitting coach.

Shelton, 39, spent the past five seasons as the hitting coach for the Cleveland Indians and lost his job Oct. 1 when manager Eric Wedge was fired. Since 2005, the Indians rank fifth in the majors in runs scored, seventh in batting average, third in on-base percentage and 10th in home runs.

Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said Shelton has "proven himself to be one of the better minds in baseball when it comes to hitting" and "brings a fresh voice that can help our talented core of hitters reach new heights."

Despite their statistical success, the Rays did not renew hitting coach Steve Henderson's contract. Friedman and manager Joe Maddon sought a new approach to situational hitting, particularly scoring runners from third base.

The Rays also are looking for more production after scoring 10 or more runs 20 times, but three or fewer in 71 games.

"I believe (Shelton) 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," Maddon said. "In our conversations, I found that we share the same philosophy on a number of different areas."

Shelton inherits a lineup with several big guns, including Evan Longoria, Ben Zobrist, Carlos Pena, Jason Bartlett and Carl Crawford. But there were weak spots in the lineup. B.J. Upton and Dioner Navarro had off years, and Pat Burrell was a major disappointment.

Shelton accentuated the positive.

"With this club, they can score so many ways," Shelton said. "Other teams rely on the home run or just speed. The way this lineup is built, there's (speed) and guys that can drive the ball out of the ballpark."

Shelton spent seven years total with the Indians, serving as hitting coordinator from 2003 to 2005. Before that, he spent six seasons coaching in the New York Yankees organization, including a stint in 1998 at Class A Tampa.

He was a catcher for two years in the Yankees organization before an injury ended his playing career, and he holds a criminal justice degree from Southern Illinois University.

He's the sixth hitting coach in Rays history and the youngest, following Henderson (1998, 2006-09), Leon Roberts (1999-2000), Wade Boggs (2001), Milt May (2002) and Lee Elia (2003-05).

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