With the offseason underway, the Giants added the final piece to their rebuilt coaching staff. Early Thursday morning, San Francisco finalized a deal with Rich Schu to become their assistant hitting coach.
Rick Schu new assistant hitting coach for #SFGiants, sources tell The Athletic. Previously #Nationals hitting coach.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 9, 2017
Schu played nine years in the major leagues from 1984-1991 and then returned in 1996 and played one game for the Montreal Expos. Despite being signed as an amateur free agent in 1980, Schu worked his way through the Phillies organization and eventually replaced Mike Schmidt at third base in 1985 when the Hall of Famer transitioned to first.
The following year, Schu played the best season of his career, batting .274 with 8 home runs and 25 RBI in 92 games.
“Rick Schu, when I knew him he was with the Phillies and he’s just an extremely hard worker,” Mike Krukow said on Murph & Mac Thursday morning. “I think the career that you just mentioned, that’s the kind of career you want from a coach. He’s got to be a guy who’s played a long time and Schu did that.”
After his five-year stint with the Phillies, Schu bounced around from several different teams; including the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, California Angels, and Expos. Along with some stretches in the minor leagues, Schu played two seasons for the Nippon Ham Fighers of the Japanese Pacific League from 1993-1994, where he batted .257 with 38 home runs.
“I always thought, when I knew Rick Schu, that he was going to be a hitting instructor someday, just because he was obsessed with it,” Krukow said. “He was obsessed the journey and along the way he’s turned into a great teacher, who’s able to express what he learned along the way. That’s essential.”
Once his career came to an end in 1996, Schu worked for the Arizona Diamondbacks as their hitting coordinator for 10 seasons and eventually served as hitting coach from 2007-2009. Most recently, Schu served as hitting coach for the Washington Nationals from 2013-2017; where he worked with the talents of Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, and Ryan Zimmerman.
“Another thing too about these two guys, Powell and Schu, is they’re really good within the game,” Krukow said. “They’re really good with making adjustments within the game. What that guy swings that day? What that pitcher’s type is? How the ballpark is playing? Things you need to stay focused on.”
