| Rob Hinds |
|
|
Rob Hinds enters his second season as an assistant to Gary Adams. Focusing on baserunning and infielding, coach Hinds looks to improve a speed game that stole a league-low (tied with Oregon St.) 23 bases in 36 attempts last season. In his first season, Hinds helped the Bruins cut their errors by 27%, from 132 in 57 games in '98 to 96 in 62 games in '99. This season Hinds faces the difficult task of finding a replacement for shortstop Jack Santora, the leader of the UCLA infield and top basestealer a year ago.
"We've been concentrating heavily on defense this fall, working on the fundamentals in the hopes of keeping ground balls from reaching the outfield. I'm teaching our players to take pride in their defense because that is what ultimately wins ball games," said Hinds.
"As for baserunning, we can improve our run production by rounding the bases tighter, taking solid leads and getting a quicker jump on the opposing pitcher's windup. I want the players to be smart runners with the ability to tell the difference between a good gamble and a bad one," said Hinds.
Prior to taking his first official coaching job, Hinds played second base, shortstop, and the outfield for the Tampa Yankees (A), the Norwich Navigators (AA) and the Columbus Clippers (AAA) in various stints from 1992 to 1998. Following his final season as a Bruin player, he was a 10th round pick of the New York Yankees in the 1992 major league draft.
Hinds lettered for three years (1990-1992) at second base and shortstop for UCLA. He hit a personal-best .325 during his sophomore campaign and was regarded as a top-notch fielder throughout his collegiate career. Rob returned to Westwood during the 1997 offseason to complete his degree in Political Science.
When Coach Hinds is not overseeing baserunning and infielding drills, he can be found out on the links trying to improve his chip shot. Rob is single and resides in Century City.
HINDS AS A UCLA PLAYER
| Year | AVG | HR | RBI | BB | SB |
| 1990 | .286 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1991 | .321 | 1 | 17 | 26 | 10 |
| 1992 | .236 | 1 | 25 | 35 | 27 |
| Totals | .276 | 2 | 43 | 62 | 38 |
