Will Hensley Meulens succeed Alan Zinter as Reds hitting coach?

David Bell will be looking for his third hitting coach since being named Cincinnati Reds manager back in October of 2018. The Reds dismissed Alan Zinter after the team finished at or near the bottom in several offensive categories.

Zinter was the second hitting coach to sit alongside Bell in the Reds dugout. Turner Ward occupied that spot during Bell's first year as skipper, but was fired after the 2019 season. Ward is currently the assistant hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Fans around baseball are already beginning to see managerial openings be filled. Bruce Bochy was just hired as the head man in Arlington and will now lead the Texas Rangers. Might the Cincinnati Reds look to hire one of Bochy's former assistants to become the team's next hitting coach?

Will Hensley Meulens succeed Alan Zinter as Reds hitting coach?

Hensley Meulens is currently the assistant hitting coach for the New York Yankees and had previously worked as the New York Mets bench coach. But prior to that, Meulens was an assistant for the San Francisco Giants for 10 seasons.

From 2010-2017, Meulens served as the Giants hitting coach and from 2018-2019, the former major leaguer was San Fran's bench coach. Meulens was there for all three of the Giants' World Series runs, so the 54-year-old knows a little something about winning at the highest level.

It just so happens that Meulens was on Bruce Bochy's staff when David Bell was in the Giants' front office. Bell was the vice president of player development in 2018 before being named the Reds manager that fall.

Alan Zinter was part of the San Francisco Giants organization during the 2018 season as well, and it was one of the reasons why the former Reds hitting coach was added to Cincinnati's staff after the 2019 season.

Hensley Meulens is well-regarded throughout the sport and has acted as the manager for The Netherlands during the World Baseball Classic in both 2013 and 2017. Don't be shocked if Meulens is added to the Reds coaching staff once the Yankees' postseason run comes to a close.