Who is Brad Wilkerson, a university coach the Yankees hired to train MLB hitters?

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Brad Wilkerson joined the Yankees as their assistant hitting coach after an announcement by the team on January 30. The eight-year MLB veteran, who played for the Expos/Nationals, Rangers, Mariners, and Blue Jays, will be the only new face in the Yankees’ coaching department. Brad Wilkerson will work with hitting coach Dillon Lawson and assistant hitting coach Casey Dykes replacing Hensley Meulens, who left for Colorado.

Brad Wilkerson is the only new coach on Boone’s staff from last year, when the Yankees won 99 games and won the AL East, but lost to the Astros in the AL Championship Series. But the former big league home run hitter has never been a coach before, even though the Yankees think he will fit right in on their coaching staff this year.

Brad Wilkerson, who turned 45 last year, has been working at Jacksonville University for the past three years as an assistant coach and coordinator for recruiting. He helped Jacksonville win the ASUN Conference Championship in the 2020-21 season. Brad Wilkerson played baseball for eight years, from 2001 to 2008. During that time, he played for four different teams and hit .247 (788 for 3,187) with 500 runs, 399 RBI, and 122 home runs. In 2002, when he played for the Montreal Expos, the team that picked him in the first round, he came in second in the National League for Rookie of the Year.

Brad Wilkerson played first base and the outfield for the Expos/Nationals from 2001 to 2005, the Rangers from 2006 to 2007, the Mariners in 2008, and the Blue Jays in 2008. In 972 games, he hit .247/.350/.440 (105 OPS+) and had 500 runs, 193 doubles, 28 triples, 122 home runs, and 399 RBIs.

Brad Wilkerson came in second place for the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2002. The award went to Jason Jennings of the Rockies. Wilkerson’s best season was 2004 with the Montreal Expos. In 160 games, he hit .255/.374/.498 (120 OPS+) with 32 home runs and 67 RBIs.

Before joining Jacksonville University, he was the head coach at The King’s Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida. Brad Wilkerson has also been a coach for USA Baseball. In 2014, the organization named him “Volunteer Coach of the Year.”

How he Brad Wilkerson, who has no MLB experience, help the Yankees?

Brad Wilkerson helped the Dolphins win the 2021 ASUN Baseball Championship and move on to the 16th NCAA Regional during his time with the team. He also helped two players make the ASUN All-Freshman team. Last year, the team went back to the ASUN Baseball Championship and won games against Florida State, Liberty, North Florida, and FGCU. They also won a series against FGCU, North Florida, and Liberty.

“Brad Wilkerson has done a great job of representing Jacksonville University and our baseball program,” said Dolphins manager Chris Hayes. “He and his family have embraced the Dolphin family from the beginning. The knowledge, effort and dedication he poured into the development our student-athletes and the recruitment of future Dolphins will benefit our program today and in future years.

Brad Wilkerson’s way of hitting is a lot like the way the Yankees’ current hitting coach Dillon Lawson, who tells his players to “hit hard and strike hard.” This is not a coincidence.

“I was always a guy that was a pretty patient hitter. Aggressive but patient,” Wilkerson explained. “The number one thing is you’ve got to get a good pitch to hit and you’ve got to hit it hard when it comes. Whether it’s the first pitch or the eighth pitch of an at-bat, that’s my biggest thing. Obviously we dig down deep in the cages and we work on mechanics, but I’m big on the mental approach and making sure with these guys that their minds are clear.”

“I feel like I’m very prepared for this,” Wilkerson said. “Obviously I haven’t been in a big league dugout in a while, but I feel very confident in my skills to get these guys to relax, be themselves and get the most out of their ability.”

Brand Wilkerson revealed that the Yankees called him about 10 days ago to see if he was interested. He told them that he would only be interested in a position in the major leagues. After Lawson and manager Aaron Boone met on Zoom, the offer came quickly.

What do you think about the hiring? Leave your comment below.

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