Astros Hire Anthony Iapoce As Assistant Hitting Coach

"Coach Poce has a new gig. Houston general manager Dana Brown told reporters, including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, that the club is hiring Anthony Iapoce as an assistant hitting coach. The former Tigers first base coach will assist Victor Rodriguez, who was hired as lead hitting coach in early November. Brown also mentioned that Dan Hennigan was promoted to director of hitting and offensive coordinator."

"It's not the first time Iapoce will work as a hitting coach. He got his coaching start with the Marlins as a minor league hitting coach from 2006 to 2009. He then moved on to Toronto as minor league hitting coordinator, a role he held for three seasons. Iapoce's first six seasons on a big-league staff came as a hitting coach, first with the Rangers (2016-2018) and then with the Cubs (2019-2021)."

"Iapoce, Rodriguez, and Hennigan will be looking to revive an offense that uncharacteristically struggled last season. The Astros ranked 21st in scoring, the first time in over a decade they'd finished in the bottom 10 in runs. Houston severely lacked punch in the middle of the order after trading Kyle Tucker and losing Alex Bregman in free agency. Long-term injuries to Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes further limited the lineup."

Anthony Iapoce has been hired by Houston as an assistant hitting coach and will assist lead hitting coach Victor Rodriguez while Dan Hennigan was promoted to director of hitting and offensive coordinator. Iapoce spent the past three seasons in the Tigers organization and served as Detroit's first base coach since 2024. He previously worked as a minor-league hitting coach with the Marlins (2006–2009), as Toronto's minor league hitting coordinator for three seasons, and as a major-league hitting coach with the Rangers (2016–2018) and Cubs (2019–2021). The Astros ranked 21st in scoring after trading Kyle Tucker, losing Alex Bregman, and suffering long-term injuries to Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes, while Jeremy Peña and Carlos Correa provided offensive bright spots. The new coaching configuration will seek bounce-backs from Christian Walker and contributions from younger hitters such as Yainer Díaz.

Read at MLB Trade Rumors