The Reds have appointed Chris Valaika as their Director of Hitting/Major League Hitting Coach.
Valaika has served as the Cleveland Guardians’ Major League Hitting Coach for the past three seasons. In 2021, he served as the Chicago Cubs’ Assistant Major League Hitting Coach.
The former infielder appeared in 99 Major League games over four seasons, with Cincinnati (2010-11), Miami (2013), and the Cubs (2014).
The Reds selected Valaika in the third round (84th overall) of the 2006 draft from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was named the 2008 Cincinnati Reds Minor League Player of the Year after topping all Reds full-season minor leaguers in hitting average (.317). Valaika competed for Team USA in the 2008 XM All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium.
The Santa Clarita, California native began coaching in 2017 after retiring from playing after the 2015 season. Prior to joining the Cubs’ Major League staff, he was the organization’s Minor League Hitting Coordinator for two seasons (2019-20), after serving as Hitting Coach for A-Eugene in 2017 and AAA-Iowa in 2018. Valaika spent five seasons coaching in the Chicago organization.
