For the second straight offseason, Jim Hendry gave a three year contract to the prize he coveted. This year he threw gobs of money (3-year, $2.42 mil) at former Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, who is in the "renowned master" category of coaches along with Leo Mazzone and Dave Duncan among others. Here are some thoughts on the new addition to Lou's staff:

Is he as good as advertised? Much has been made of the 17 silver sluggers he has helped produce in Texas and how Soriano and Milt had good years under him. However, Soriano was a veteran by the time he got to Texas, and his offensive game and gameplan didn't change under Jaramillo. The same exact thing can be said for Milton, and he may have just benefited from being in the most talented he had ever been in. Helping these two in a technical is most likely a moot point, as Milton is more than likely not returning, and at 33, the odds of Soriano making any changes to his game are slim.

It is very probable that Soriano had a good rapport with Jaramillo and this could in fact benefit him. The silver slugger number is nice, but what more impresses me is the number of young, mostly homegrown players that have flourished offensively in Texas under Jaramillo. This list includes Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, Hank Blalock, Chris Davis, Mark Teixeira, and Nelson Cruz. The success of these players can in part be attributed to a good farm system, but with the lack of pitching coming from that same farm system and scouts (until this past year), Jaramillo must have had a pretty significant impact. What may be more impressive is the marvels he did for the offensive games of more veteran players like Mark DeRosa, Gary Matthews Jr. and Marlon Byrd. Can Jaramillo turn the Cubs into an offensive juggernaut in Spring Training? Probably not, but I think he has proven that he is pretty good at what he does.

Is his aggresive-philosophy good for the Cubs? A lot things I have read say that Jaramillo preaches a very aggressive approach. Now "aggressive approach" could mean a number of different things. It could entail a Derrek Lee-like approach, where one is more than willing to swing at first pitch fastball, but is still able to hold back and have a longer at bat if that doesn't work. Or it could include the free-swinging Alfonso Soriano approach. Maybe a bit of both. Either way, the words "aggressive" and "Cubs" together really scare me. The bumbling "wait-for-the-3-run-homer" offenses of the Dusty Baker era are all too fresh in my mind. Countering that is the league-leading OBP and runs scored team of 2008. If the wind isn't blowing out, Wrigley Field is in a completely different world than the Ballpark at Arlington. Is an aggressive really best for the Cubs?

Why not stick with Dave Keller? Signing Jaramillo to a three year with the current managerial situation seems a bit odd to me. The situation 2010 doesn't bother me because Lou has been managing long enough and has been through enough coaches that I'm sure it won't be an issue. Beyond next season is what I find interesting. I guess I'm just in a place where I assume Ryne Sandberg is going to be the next manager of the Chicago Cubs. The only competition I could see to him would be from Joe Girardi, but seeing as there is a very good chance he wins the World Series this year, he isn't leaving New York anytime soon. Would Jaramillo want to work alongside a rookie manager? He probably doesn't mind after just going through that exact situation with Ron Washington. What is more of an issue is whether Jaramillo wants to go through the transition from a Hall of Fame manager to one that hasn't sniffed the big leagues in that role. That being said, maybe it is a good thing to have a veteran, extremely well-respected coach waiting for a rookie manager.

My issue with giving minor league hitting instructor Dave Keller the big leauge job is that I feel like he could best address what the Cubs need. Now I am not all saying he is more qualified for the job than Jaramillo, because Jaramillo is the most qualified hitting coach in all of baseball. My point is that the Cubs greatest need from a hitting coach is improvement from their young players. Geovany Soto and Ryan Theriot need to have bounce back years. Jake Fox, Micah and Andres Blanco need to advance their offensive games to build a strong bench. All these guys came up in the Cubs system (with the exception of Blanco) and all advanced to the bigs with Keller as their hitting coach. I don't think any coach will have too much of an influence on Lee, Ramirez, Sori, Fukudome and the other veterans. Where the difference can be made is in the young players, so hiring a coach who already has a connection to them seems to make the most sense.

Photo courtesy daylife.com.

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