Prospectus Q&A

Gene Tenace

by David Laurila

Gene Tenace transcends eras. Hired as the Blue Jays hitting coach when Cito Gaston replaced John Gibbons this past June, Tenace was a World Series MVP at a time when statistics like OBP and SLG meant little or nothing to most baseball fans. One of the most under-appreciated players the game has seen, Tenace has been rated by Bill James as the 23^rd-best catcher in big-league history despite a lifetime average of .241. Now 62 years old, Tenace earned that distinction thanks to an ability to get on base and hit with power, having posted an OPS of 817 between 1969 and 1983 (versus a league average of 694). Tenace talked about his hitting approach, and about his spectacular 1972 World Series performance, during a Blue Jays visit to Fenway Park in September.

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David Laurila: How would you describe your hitting philosophy?

Gene Tenace: I like to keep it pretty simple, especially at this level. When you look at the players at this level, they're the best in the world. They have a consistent swing, so that's something we don't have to build. The big thing here really, for me, is probably more the mental part of hitting than it is the physical part—preparation, mental preparation, for what the pitcher is going to try and do to them; things like that. The mechanical part—things go wrong, things will break down; you'll pull off the ball, but that's pretty common stuff to fix at this level, because you can see it with the video. The technology is pretty impressive right now in this industry. It probably is in every sporting industry. You can break everything down and detect it pretty quick, if you don't see it with the naked eye. We have that at our hands, and it's a big helping tool for detecting things going wrong in a swing. The other thing is to keep them mentally prepared for the game.

DL: To what extent should hitters follow an organizational hitting philosophy as opposed to focusing primarily on their own strengths?

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