Q&A with hitting coach Vavra
11/16/2005
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins vowed to upgrade their offense during this offseason, but one of the first major changes involved no players.
On Oct. 27, Joe Vavra was promoted and became the new Twins hitting coach to replace Scott Ullger, who was shifted to third base coach. Vavra, 45, spent the past four years as the organization's Minor League field coordinator and was a Minor League manager in the Dodgers system from 1989-97.
This week, Vavra spoke by phone with MLB.com from his home in Menomonie, Wis., about his anticipation for his new job and what he's already done to prepare for Spring Training.
MLB.com: After you were named the new hitting coach of the Twins, what was your first order of business?
Vavra: It started with contacting the players. To me, that was pretty important. I've had a relationship with them for the past four years, but this will be a different type of relationship. I got to talk with them a little bit about their year -- the good and the bad.
MLB.com: Upon your hiring, Torii Hunter complained publicly because he wanted a coach with Major League hitting experience. Have you had a chance to speak to him yet and were you satisfied with the conversation?
Vavra: Yes, I've always had a pretty good relationship with Torii. I wanted to get to him right away, and I did. We've had a couple of talks since the hiring and it's all been very positive. I really can't blame him for having some second thoughts about the hiring. He wasn't aware of what I had done in the past. I told him I've had a lot of hitting in my background since I got into pro ball. When I got into the coaching ranks and as a manager, we had only two staff people. You pretty much had to do all the hitting, so I'm not too worried about that aspect. He thought I had just been the field coordinator for a long time, and that didn't encompass anything to do with hitting. But it does, heavily.
MLB.com: What position did you play when you were a player in the Dodgers organization?
Vavra: I started out as a shortstop and then I basically played most of the infield positions. By the time I ended my career, which was cut short due to valley fever, I was pretty much a utility player. My bat was in the lineup every day, but I was a utility player.
MLB.com: As a coach in the Minors and now in your new role, what is your philosophy about hitting and about this team's offense? Do have any ideas that might be a departure from the past few years?
Vavra: Right now, I'm in the process of looking at everyone's tapes and analyzing all their mechanics. When you get to be a big league player, it usually isn't anything mechanical. It might be one or two little things. Pretty much, they can teach themselves how to hit. They should know enough about the mechanics at this point in time. My job is more of reminding them to stay inside the ball, talking about matchups and that type of thing. I do have some work to do with their foundation. I really want to make sure they're in balance and alignment, starting out with their feet. If we can keep that balance and control, usually we'll be able to keep our upper bodies in control, as well. Then we talk about quality at-bats and taking better at-bats night after night. You try to talk about rallies and keeping consistent at-bats, going within the batting order and how they complement each other up and down the order. The name of the game becomes how long can you stay on offense.
MLB.com: The Twins, as an organization from low Class A ball through to the Majors, has always stressed fundamentals and doing the little things. It seems like at the big league level this year, they kind of lost their way and got away from things like that. From talking to Ron Gardenhire and Terry Ryan, how much will you be working on bunting, moving runners over, hitting with runners in scoring position and other things when you get to Spring Training?
Vavra: That will be an everyday focus for us, as far as getting the little things down. Yes, we did get away from some of the little things you talked about. Talking to the players individually, some of them made comments that they got away from their strengths a little bit. We need to get back to that. We need to talk about how to execute a little better and maybe why we didn't have success and how we're going to get there.
MLB.com: From the reports you've seen, were some of the Twins' problems symptomatic of having an inexperienced lineup? Will the struggles of this year help them learn at all for next year?
Vavra: Inexperience is always part of the equation when you have inconsistent and poor quality at-bats. But it certainly doesn't build into an excuse. You should only try to make your at-bats better as the year goes on. If you're failing early in the year, why is that? We need to correct it. Sometimes, it snowballs and so much attention is made of it that it's hard to come out of it. As a ballclub, so much attention was put on that you can't score a runner from third base. You put pressure on yourself. You need to stay positive and keep focusing in on what you're trying to do. You're going to have failure, a lot of failure, when you try to execute. Pitchers bear down a little bit and get tougher when there are runners in scoring position. There is going to be certain amount of failure. But it's how you went about you reached that pass/fail grade for getting the job done that's important to me.
MLB.com: Of all the young hitters to struggle this year, none got more attention than Justin Morneau. His inconsistency, amid the high expectations, was particularly glaring. Some of it happened because of all the health problems he had last year during the offseason. When speaking to him, how close do you think he is to taking the next step?
Vavra: He's certainly capable. I think he's very close. With a good, healthy year, he can be a very productive guy in that lineup. He probably put too much pressure on himself this year, trying to get the big numbers. I foresee him staying a little more within himself next year and probably putting up those numbers that everybody expects. I think it's certainly attainable.
MLB.com: On a personal note, you've worked in this game for a number of years. How excited were you when Ryan offered you the job?
Vavra: Well, 23 years in the business is a long time not to get a look at the Major League level. I did have some experience at Los Angeles. I was kind of an extra coach, a roving coach with Billy Russell. I did get to travel with the Major League club and I did get to see how everything worked. It really added to my job as a Minor League coordinator, manager and instructor. Over the years, all the players that have gone to the big leagues have kept in correspondence over the years. There's nothing like getting the call from the general manager that's saying we're going to put you in business as the hitting guy. That's a pretty special call. You get excited hearing that. It's exciting for your family and everybody that's supported you over the years. It's a pretty good feeling.
MLB.com: Is there one coach in particular that you looked to as a guru or mentor?
Vavra: No. I've had input from several different people. I don't want to single someone out. I've seen so many different people. I used to sit at Dodger Stadium and walk down to the cage when opposing teams came through. I'd sit off to the side and watch Tony Gwynn hit and Mark McGwire hit. There may or may not be a coach down there, or the guy might be working by himself. I'd just sit there and listen and probably over years, got as much input as I could from different people. I've tried to do my homework. I think I've formulated a pretty good plan as far as what the job entails coming up.
MLB.com: Is there added pressure in taking on an offense that was at or near the bottom in many categories?
Vavra: I think through the history of my career, I've always been put in a position where it's a challenge. That's how you grow in the game. I took this thing on with no reservations at all. I'm excited about it. I have no fear for the position. I have probably a little anxiety, because I can't wait to get going. I know everybody needs his rest, and I do, as well. But I can't wait until February comes along because it's going to be pretty exciting.
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins vowed to upgrade their offense during this offseason, but one of the first major changes involved no players.
On Oct. 27, Joe Vavra was promoted and became the new Twins hitting coach to replace Scott Ullger, who was shifted to third base coach. Vavra, 45, spent the past four years as the organization's Minor League field coordinator and was a Minor League manager in the Dodgers system from 1989-97.
This week, Vavra spoke by phone with MLB.com from his home in Menomonie, Wis., about his anticipation for his new job and what he's already done to prepare for Spring Training.
MLB.com: After you were named the new hitting coach of the Twins, what was your first order of business?
Vavra: It started with contacting the players. To me, that was pretty important. I've had a relationship with them for the past four years, but this will be a different type of relationship. I got to talk with them a little bit about their year -- the good and the bad.
MLB.com: Upon your hiring, Torii Hunter complained publicly because he wanted a coach with Major League hitting experience. Have you had a chance to speak to him yet and were you satisfied with the conversation?
Vavra: Yes, I've always had a pretty good relationship with Torii. I wanted to get to him right away, and I did. We've had a couple of talks since the hiring and it's all been very positive. I really can't blame him for having some second thoughts about the hiring. He wasn't aware of what I had done in the past. I told him I've had a lot of hitting in my background since I got into pro ball. When I got into the coaching ranks and as a manager, we had only two staff people. You pretty much had to do all the hitting, so I'm not too worried about that aspect. He thought I had just been the field coordinator for a long time, and that didn't encompass anything to do with hitting. But it does, heavily.
MLB.com: What position did you play when you were a player in the Dodgers organization?
Vavra: I started out as a shortstop and then I basically played most of the infield positions. By the time I ended my career, which was cut short due to valley fever, I was pretty much a utility player. My bat was in the lineup every day, but I was a utility player.
MLB.com: As a coach in the Minors and now in your new role, what is your philosophy about hitting and about this team's offense? Do have any ideas that might be a departure from the past few years?
Vavra: Right now, I'm in the process of looking at everyone's tapes and analyzing all their mechanics. When you get to be a big league player, it usually isn't anything mechanical. It might be one or two little things. Pretty much, they can teach themselves how to hit. They should know enough about the mechanics at this point in time. My job is more of reminding them to stay inside the ball, talking about matchups and that type of thing. I do have some work to do with their foundation. I really want to make sure they're in balance and alignment, starting out with their feet. If we can keep that balance and control, usually we'll be able to keep our upper bodies in control, as well. Then we talk about quality at-bats and taking better at-bats night after night. You try to talk about rallies and keeping consistent at-bats, going within the batting order and how they complement each other up and down the order. The name of the game becomes how long can you stay on offense.
MLB.com: The Twins, as an organization from low Class A ball through to the Majors, has always stressed fundamentals and doing the little things. It seems like at the big league level this year, they kind of lost their way and got away from things like that. From talking to Ron Gardenhire and Terry Ryan, how much will you be working on bunting, moving runners over, hitting with runners in scoring position and other things when you get to Spring Training?
Vavra: That will be an everyday focus for us, as far as getting the little things down. Yes, we did get away from some of the little things you talked about. Talking to the players individually, some of them made comments that they got away from their strengths a little bit. We need to get back to that. We need to talk about how to execute a little better and maybe why we didn't have success and how we're going to get there.
MLB.com: From the reports you've seen, were some of the Twins' problems symptomatic of having an inexperienced lineup? Will the struggles of this year help them learn at all for next year?
Vavra: Inexperience is always part of the equation when you have inconsistent and poor quality at-bats. But it certainly doesn't build into an excuse. You should only try to make your at-bats better as the year goes on. If you're failing early in the year, why is that? We need to correct it. Sometimes, it snowballs and so much attention is made of it that it's hard to come out of it. As a ballclub, so much attention was put on that you can't score a runner from third base. You put pressure on yourself. You need to stay positive and keep focusing in on what you're trying to do. You're going to have failure, a lot of failure, when you try to execute. Pitchers bear down a little bit and get tougher when there are runners in scoring position. There is going to be certain amount of failure. But it's how you went about you reached that pass/fail grade for getting the job done that's important to me.
MLB.com: Of all the young hitters to struggle this year, none got more attention than Justin Morneau. His inconsistency, amid the high expectations, was particularly glaring. Some of it happened because of all the health problems he had last year during the offseason. When speaking to him, how close do you think he is to taking the next step?
Vavra: He's certainly capable. I think he's very close. With a good, healthy year, he can be a very productive guy in that lineup. He probably put too much pressure on himself this year, trying to get the big numbers. I foresee him staying a little more within himself next year and probably putting up those numbers that everybody expects. I think it's certainly attainable.
MLB.com: On a personal note, you've worked in this game for a number of years. How excited were you when Ryan offered you the job?
Vavra: Well, 23 years in the business is a long time not to get a look at the Major League level. I did have some experience at Los Angeles. I was kind of an extra coach, a roving coach with Billy Russell. I did get to travel with the Major League club and I did get to see how everything worked. It really added to my job as a Minor League coordinator, manager and instructor. Over the years, all the players that have gone to the big leagues have kept in correspondence over the years. There's nothing like getting the call from the general manager that's saying we're going to put you in business as the hitting guy. That's a pretty special call. You get excited hearing that. It's exciting for your family and everybody that's supported you over the years. It's a pretty good feeling.
MLB.com: Is there one coach in particular that you looked to as a guru or mentor?
Vavra: No. I've had input from several different people. I don't want to single someone out. I've seen so many different people. I used to sit at Dodger Stadium and walk down to the cage when opposing teams came through. I'd sit off to the side and watch Tony Gwynn hit and Mark McGwire hit. There may or may not be a coach down there, or the guy might be working by himself. I'd just sit there and listen and probably over years, got as much input as I could from different people. I've tried to do my homework. I think I've formulated a pretty good plan as far as what the job entails coming up.
MLB.com: Is there added pressure in taking on an offense that was at or near the bottom in many categories?
Vavra: I think through the history of my career, I've always been put in a position where it's a challenge. That's how you grow in the game. I took this thing on with no reservations at all. I'm excited about it. I have no fear for the position. I have probably a little anxiety, because I can't wait to get going. I know everybody needs his rest, and I do, as well. But I can't wait until February comes along because it's going to be pretty exciting.
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
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