Kirby on Coolbaugh: "I think he's going to be great"

If anyone in the Orioles organization truly knows Scott Coolbaugh, it's got to be first base coach Wayne Kirby.

Room with a guy for four years in spring training and you're going to learn plenty about him.

Kirby and Coolbaugh were paired up while they worked in the Rangers organization. The Orioles hired Coolbaugh on Friday to replace Jim Presley as hitting coach, a move that has been met with favorable reviews by the people closest to him.

"Cooley is a low-key type," Kirby said. "He's going to listen. And he's a cage rat. He's a guy who loves going to the ballpark and loves being in the cage."

The Rangers basically turned Coolbaugh loose by allowing him to interview with the Orioles after initial resistance. They offered him a three-year contract to remain as minor league hitting coordinator, but he jumped at the chance to get back in the majors.

"Being a minor league coordinator, I think it helps him to handle young kids," Kirby said. "He can come at it from a different direction. Jim was awesome, but we're heading in a new direction now that he's gone.

"Cooley is going to blend. He knows John Russell, he knows Bobby Dickerson, he knows Dom Chiti, he knows Dave Wallace. He's in the same boat we were in when we got here. And he brings the same passion that we did. When I got here, my passion was high. I enjoy going to the ballpark and he enjoys going to the ballpark. That's a plus. He worked with Chris Davis. That's also a plus."

Kirby thinks Coolbaugh got a "bad rap" in Texas. The Rangers fired him after a wild card loss to the Orioles, even though their .273 average and .446 slugging percentage ranked second in the American League and their .334 on-base percentage ranked third.

"You look at the numbers they put up that year and he got fired," Kirby said. "And guys got better. That's what it's all about.

"He's a guy who understands sabermetrics. I'm old school, but he understands if a guy throws this many fastballs and you're not hitting them and he throws this many changeups and he's not hitting them, he knows the averages.

"He's there early and he does a lot of one-on-one work. I think he's going to be great. And you're going to love his personality. If you ask him about hitting, you're going to be there a while. Grab a Snickers."

(Many thanks to Kirby for supplying my favorite quote of 2014.)

"He's a version of me and he's a version of Bobby Dickerson," Kirby added. "He might be a boring interview, though."

Manager Buck Showalter sought Kirby's advice on candidates and Coolbaugh was extremely high on the list. So was Brook Jacoby, hired last month by the Blue Jays.

"I kept saying, 'Get somebody young and energetic who loves the game,' " Kirby said.

"You know Buck. The guy's got to bring it every day. And he's been on a championship team. He's going to be all right."