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LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers have stated their desire to get younger this offseason, but apparently that doesn't only apply to their roster of players. The club has also reportedly hired Drew Saylor as a minor league coach.
Excited to be a part of the Los Angeles Dodgers! Thanks to the Rockies for 4 great years! pic.twitter.com/cnWFTedSNp
— Drew Saylor (@drewsaylor19) November 17, 2015
It is unknown exactly what Saylor will be doing or which affiliate he might join. The Dodgers' minor league coaching staffs are in flux, with several coaches let go at the end of 2015, and the club hasn't yet officially announced any assignments for 2016, nor have they confirmed the hire.
Saylor turns 32 in January, and spent the last four years coaching in the Rockies' minor league system. He was hitting coach for rookie-level Grand Junction in the Pioneer League in 2012 and held the same position for Class-A Modesto in the California League in 2015. In between, he managed for two years at Tri-City, the Colorado's short-season Class-A affiliate.
When he moved to Tri-City in 2013, he was the youngest manager in professional baseball, at 29. His teams went 67-85 (.441) in his two seasons.
"I feel I’m very blessed with the ability to bring a certain type of energy and certain type of focus," Saylor told Rick Noland of the Medina (Ohio) Gazette in December 2012. "I want to get them set and get them on the right path."
In August 2015, Saylor wrote a guest post on Dodgers director of player development Gabe Kapler's website:
As I transitioned from playing into teaching (I’m not a big fan of calling what I do coaching), "Know Thyself" became my teaching philosophy. Players needed to know themselves so well that they could accept coaching and apply to their specific situation. One main way I did that was to teach the answer to the question "why?"
Today’s players walk into the game steeped in technology. Information is always at our fingertips now, and they are wired to want to know how and why things work. This is a good thing – players taught this way are able to adjust and think independently. They don’t fear knowledge or discussions from other outside sources because they have a secure foundation for their beliefs. They know themselves. An unwillingness to hear and learn from differing opinions is an unwillingness to grow. Knowing one’s self and being able to discuss other people’s viewpoints allows for knowledge to be passed on.
A native of Ohio, Saylor played baseball for two years at the University of Cincinnati, then transferred to Kent State and played two more years. He was drafted in the 13th round in 2006 by the Marlins. Saylor hit .165/.263/.218 in 52 games, mostly at second base, in parts of two years in the Marlins and Astros systems, then played three more years in independent leagues before turning to coaching.