The Washington Nationals today named Mitchell Page as hitting coach, Tony Beasley and third-base coach and Davey Lopes as first-base coach. The trio will join pitching-coach Randy St. Claire and bench-coach Eddie Rodriguez, both holdovers from 2006, on Washington’s big league staff (the Nationals’ bullpen coach vacancy will be filled at a later date). Nationals Vice President and General Manager Jim Bowden and Nationals manager Frank Robinson made the joint announcement.

By joining the Nationals’ staff, Page returns to the big leagues for the first time since 2004, when he served as hitting coach for the National League-champion St. Louis Cardinals. Page’s Redbirds—which included Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds—ranked among the Senior Circuit’s top two clubs in runs scored for three straight seasons (2002-04), including 2004, when they paced the NL in runs (757), hits (1544) and slugging percentage (.460). Page, who also served as Kansas City’s first-base coach from 1995-97, enjoyed an eight-year big league career with Oakland (1977-83) and Pittsburgh (1984), during which he batted .266 with 72 home runs and 259 RBI in 673 big league contests. He was named AL Rookie of the Year by the Sporting News in 1977 after hitting .307 with 21 home runs and 75 RBI and 42 stolen bases for the Athletics. Page, 54, joined the Nationals organization last season serving as minor league hitting instructor.

Beasley, 39, accepts Washington’s third-base coaching position after five highly successful seasons, all of which yielded post-season berths, managing in the Pirates system. Beasley fashioned a stellar .590 winning percentage (372-258 record) during his five-year tenure with the Pirates, during which he managed in Altoona (2004-05, Double-A Eastern League), Hickory (2002-03, Single-A South Atlantic League) and Williamsport (2001, short-season Single-A New York-Penn League). Beasley also managed Mesa in the Arizona Fall League in 2004, and by virtue of a first place finish there, has earned six post-season berths in as many seasons as a professional manager. He joins Washington’s staff despite accepting a position as the Yankees’ roving minor-league infield instructor in early December. For his efforts, Beasley was tabbed by Baseball America as its 2004 Double-A Manager of the Year and served as a coach during the 2004 Futures Game at Houston’s Minute Maid Park. A middle infielder during his playing days, he hit .260 in eight minor-league seasons in the Pirates and Orioles chains. A native of Fredericksburg, VA and a current resident of Bowling Green, VA, Beasley played collegiate baseball at Liberty (VA) University from 1988-89.

Lopes, 60, brings 20 years of professional playing experience (16 in the big leagues), 15 years of coaching experience and three seasons of managerial experience to the Nationals dugout in 2006. Lopes hit .263 with 155 home runs, 614 RBI and 557 stolen bases during a 16-year big league career spent with Los Angeles-NL (1972-81), Oakland (‘82-84), Chicago-NL (‘84-86) and Houston (‘86-87). A four-time National League All-Star second baseman who won a Gold Glove in 1978, Lopes played in 50 post-season contests as his clubs earned six post-season berths. He played in four World Series and collected a World Championship ring with the 1981 Dodgers. Twice, he paced the National League in stolen bases, including a career-high and big league-leading 77 in 1975. Lopes spent eight of the past 11 years as a member of Bruce Bochy’s coaching staff in San Diego. In between, Lopes managed the Milwaukee Brewers for two-plus seasons (2000-02). From 1992-94, Lopes served as first-base coach for a Baltimore club whose Assistant General Manager was Frank Robinson.

Page re-writes Cardinals' hitting philosophy

by Phil Rogers
Special to ESPN.com

Do the St. Louis Cardinals hold a monopoly on hitting in the National League?

Maybe not yet, but they're working on it. Mitchell Page, a former DH with the A's, preaches a more disciplined approach. Not only are the Cardinals second in the league with a .284 batting average, but at one point early last week they even had the top three hitters -- Edgar Renteria, Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols. Renteria (.348) is now second in the league while Pujols (.328) has slipped to sixth. Edmonds has fallen off a bit, and is now 18th at .303.

And how's this for a factoid? The Cardinals score a run (226) more often than they strike out (215). That's preposterous. It's also quite a reversal. As recently as 2000, St. Louis hitters led the NL in strikeouts. Now they have the fewest strikeouts in the league. Everybody hits on the Cardinals. Even the pitchers. Right-hander Woody Williams, a career .217 hitter, tops the pitchers with a .294 batting average. Fellow starters Brett Tomko and Matt Morris are at .267 and .263, respectively. Relievers Kiko Calero and Kevin Ohme, are 2-for-3 between them. What, in the name of Bob Buhl, is happening here?

Mitchell Page is happening, that's what. That and plenty of natural talent.

Page, the 51-year-old former Oakland designated hitter, is the latest in a long line of Tony La Russa batting coaches. He arrived in St. Louis after the All-Star break in 2001, replacing Mike Easler. There's nothing flashy about what Page teaches. His basic tenet -- that it's better to make contact than to swing and miss -- is so simple that it seems obvious. But it's one thing to talk about eliminating strikeouts and another thing to do it.

With reinforcement from La Russa, Page has gotten through to the Cardinals in a big way. They are no longer the Big Bang team of the McGwire era.

"When you add a guy like Pujols, who is such a good hitter, your team's strikeouts are going to go down,'' La Russa said. "But the team understands that if you put the ball in play, you'll have better numbers because of it. You'll help your team win.

"There are big things you can do
to giveyourself a better chance of winning and some little things. Putting the ball in play is one of those little things. I think we've got a little more committed to putting the ball in play in those situations. I think our guys have just gotten better. They are giving us a better chance at what it takes to win. That really makes you feel good as a manager.

"There is so much emphasis everywhere on the big things, like home runs. But we have guys who are talented, who can hit home runs and do a lot of things. Yet they've responded to this approach.''

Eduardo Perez is in his fourth year as a bench player for St. Louis. He's a career .242 hitter, but this year is hitting .326 with an OPS that's in Pujols' neighborhood.

"Ever since the first day of spring training, Mitch has always emphasized the two-strike approach,'' Perez said. "He talks about cutting down your swing. Everybody has been trying to put the ball in play with two strikes. You do that, a lot of things happen. We hear that a lot from Tony and from Mitch.''

Unlike the approach that has worked well in Oakland and Anaheim, the Cardinals aren't looking for deep at-bats. Page tells his hitters that one of the best ways to avoid strikeouts is to avoid falling behind in the count. He doesn't want them taking strikes.

"We're an aggressive team,'' Perez said. "We're not trying to work the count when we're up there. That's the Oakland A's strength. Their plan is to get rid of a starter and get into the other team's bullpen. We have hitters here who are fastball hitters. If a pitcher throws a fastball looking to get ahead, guys will be swinging at it.''

La Russa brought hitting guru Walt Hriniak to Florida for about three weeks to assist in instructing hitters. His information may have been useful, but it is Page who has built up the trust of his hitters.

"We're all individuals,'' Perez said. "Mitch knows there are things that one guy might consider a key while somebody else will be looking for something completely different. I think that's the key to a great hitting coach, making adjustments to each hitter.''

Renteria has made the biggest strides since Page's arrival. He was hitting .236 at the All-Star break in 2001, but batted .283 in the second half, when he began to work with Page. He took another step forward last year, hitting .305. Now he's positioned to possibly compete for a batting championship, hitting .348
in 40 games.

Talk about a coach having an impact.

"He's got a good idea about hitting, how to be productive in situations,'' La Russa said of Page. "But it's just like Dunc (pitching coach Dave Duncan). Dunc's got good ideas, but the key is the players. They're the ones who have to pay attention, apply it and use their talent. It always depends on the players.''

An attempt was made to talk to Page, but he was busy as he was working with his hitters in the batting cage before a recent game. That's a bad sign for the rest of the National League.

Phil Rogers is the national baseball writer for the Chicago Tribune, which has a Web site at www.chicagosports.com

How much of an impact do hitting coaches have?

Joe Morgan

It depends on the individual and the hitter. A hitting coach is like a manager. Some have a big impact, while others have less of an impact. There has never been a manager who can make a poor team great, and there has never been a hitting coach who can make a poor hitter great.

A player must possess certain skills for a hitting coach to be able to help him. These are the criteria for being a good hitter: good hand-eye coordination, a certain amount of strength and no fear. If a player has those three elements, a good hitting coach can help that player. If that player doesn't, no one can help him.

Tony Gwynn

Hitting coaches can be huge, but there has to be trust. The hitter has to have faith in the information the coach is giving him, and the coach has to have faith that the hitter will commit to the things he is asked to do. Major league hitting coaches are dealing with players who have been successful their whole lives, so the trick is to make sure they understand all the basics and then become a troubleshooter.

The coach is watching the mechanically sound hitters and looking for things that are out of whack. Maybe the hitter is getting the ball too far out in front, not staying level or not getting his hands to the same position every time. Those are the little things he is watching for. The coach is talking basics with the struggling hitters, though, doing his best to help them get back on track.

The most successful hitting coaches are the best communicators. They talk a lot and have their hitters comfortable with their style and routines. Some guys are going to let instruction go in one ear and out the other because they have been successful in the past, but the hitting coach has to have the gumption to get in there and convince the player to try something new. It all comes back to faith in each other. The hitter and the coach have to be comfortable enough with each other to try different things.