Robert Van Scoyoc

Robert Van Scoyoc

• School Cuesta College
• High School William S. Hart High School

Biographical Information

Robert Van Scoyoc, who was born in 1986, never played professional baseball but still became known as something of a hitting guru at a young age. After a mediocre playing career that peaked in junior college, he set himself up in 2008 as a private hitting coach in the San Clarita Valley in California and as an assistant coach for Valencia High School. In 2010, he worked as a hitting coach for San Diego Christian College and also mentored a number of college and professional hitters.

He received some attention for his work with J.D. Martinez in 2013, helping him to adjust his swing just prior to his becoming one the most feared sluggers in the majors. Starting in 2016, he was hired as a hitting consultant by the Los Angeles Dodgers, working with Chris Taylor among others. In 2018, the Arizona Diamondbacks hired him away to work as a "hitting strategist", but in 2019, the Dodgers brought him back and installed him as their hitting coach. This was a rather remarkable development for someone without a professional playing résumé, as he acceded that important position without having had to pay his dues either as a coach in the minor leagues or as an assistant hitting coach in the big leagues.