Another former Padres player is headed to Detroit's bench. Wally Joyner will be the new hitting coach on one-time teammate Brad Ausmus's staff. Bless You Boys has all the details.
Joyner served as the Phillies' assistant hitting coach during the 2013 season and was the team's first base coach after Charlie Manuel was fired in August. Joyner was the hitting coach for the San Diego Padres in 2007 and 2008. He served as a roving hitting instructor in their farm system from 2003 to 2007.
You may recall that Wally resigned from the Padres' hitting coach job with about a week left of the 2008 season. He cited a differing approach between himself and the organization, but Brian Giles said that Joyner was made a scapegoat and elbowed out.
I heard Harold Reynolds talking about the hiring earlier this morning on MLB Network's Hot Stove show. Reynolds related that he and Joyner go way back and were in fact winter ball roommates. Wally won the Triple Crown, but better than that, he made french toast every morning.
In the aforementioned Bless You Boys article, the author names who Wally will be joining.
Joyner joins Gene Lamont, Jeff Jones, and Dave Clark on the Tigers' staff. A first base coach has not yet been named.
Well, they can't have ours. Joke's on them; we don't even have one.