KBO's Eagles hire ex-MLB coach Johnny Washington as new hitting coach

▲ Johnny Washington, new hitting coach for the Hanwha Eagles, signs his contract with the Korea Baseball Orgnization club, in this photo provided by the Eagles on Dec. 20, 2020. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

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KBO's Eagles hire ex-MLB coach Johnny Washington as new hitting coach

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean baseball club Hanwha Eagles announced Sunday they've hired former San Diego Padres' hitting coach Johnny Washington.

As the new hitting coach for the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club, Washington will be tasked with improving the league's most anemic offense in the 2020 season.

The California native joins an international staff led by first-year Venezuelan manager Carlos Subero, American bench coach Darryl Kennedy and the U.S.-born Puerto Rican pitching coach Jose Rosado.

Though Washington is relatively young for a coach at 36, the former infielder brings a decade of coaching experience across several levels.

After coaching in the minors in the Los Angeles Dodgers system, Washington joined the Padres' staff as the first base coach in 2017 and became their hitting coach two years later.

Following that season, Washington interviewed for the Los Angeles Angels' managerial position.

The Eagles posted the KBO's worst record in 2020 at 46-95-3 (wins-losses-ties) behind a dismal offense. They ranked last in the league in these categories: batting average (.245), runs (551), home runs (79), hits (1,189), strikeouts (1,163), walks (462), on-base percentage (.320) and slugging percentage (.338).

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