Dave Magadan

The hitting coach on a major league squad is often overlooked when it comes to a team’s success at the plate. Dave Magadan took over hitting coach duties from Ron Jackson after the 2006 season when the Red Sox hit only .269 as a team, third-worst in the American League.

Magadan brings with him 16 years of major league experience as a third baseman. He never hit more than six home runs in any one season during his major league career (1986-2001) despite playing during the steroid era.

He did however often hit with a high batting average (.288 career AVG), including a career-high .328 in 1990. The reason the Red Sox signed him has got to be his knowledge about getting on base at a high rate. He has a career .390 on-base percentage.

He was very productive for a long time because he had a knack for getting on base and not striking out. Just take a look at the stats: 718 career walks, 546 career strikeouts. He put the ball in play often. When he wasn’t, he was usually getting on base by walking.