Astros to hire Victor Rodriguez as Hitting Coach

The Astros are finalizing a deal to hire Victor Rodriguez as their new hitting coach, according to reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He was the hitting coach in San Diego the past two seasons. Rodriguez has one year left on his contract with San Diego. Houston said goodbye to hitting coaches Alex Cintron and Troy Snitker in early October.

Rodriguez has more than a decade of experience as a hitting coach at the MLB level. After coaching for several years in Boston’s minor league organization, he became an assistant hitting coach for the Red Sox in 2013. After the 2017 season, he moved to Cleveland, again as an assistant hitting coach. Rodriguez took over as hitting coach in San Diego ahead of the 2024 season.

San Diego has struck safely at an elite level under Rodriguez. After ranking 20th as a team in batting average in 2023, the Padres finished first in 2024. As Acee notes, it was the first time in franchise history that the club led the league in batting average. San Diego also had the lowest strikeout rate in the Majors by quite a margin in Rodriguez’s debut campaign. The Padres’ strikeout rate of 17.6% was 1.7% lower than that of the next closest team (Houston at 19.3%). The mid-season addition of Luis Arraez certainly provided a boost in batting average and contact while producing a strong rookie debut Jackson Merrill helped the club finish eighth in scoring.

The Padres ranked seventh in batting average last season. They had the third-lowest strikeout rate. Scoring was an issue as San Diego finished 18th in points. Merrill, slowed by injuries, took a step back. Xander Bogaerts also missed time. The team had only two regular players who finished with an OPS above .800 (Fernando Tatis Jr. and acquisition of trade deadlines Ramón Laureano).

Houston’s typically dynamic offense was hot in 2025. The Astros ranked 21st in scoring last season. They hadn’t finished in the bottom 10 since 2014. Houston acted Kyle Tucker to the Cubs and lost Alex Bregman in free agency last season, leaving a hole in the middle of the order. Injuries limited Jordan Alvarez to 48 games, which didn’t help. The Astros got solid contributions from Isaac Paredeswho came back in the Tucker trade, although he also missed two months with a hamstring injury. More health happiness, plus further development of young people Cam Smith And Zach Coleshould help Houston bounce back under Rodriguez.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images