The Rays have hired former Indians hitting coach Derek Shelton.

Shelton, 39, had been with the Indians for the last five seasons before being let go along with manager Eric Wedge and the rest of the staff. During his tenure they ranked fifth in the major leagues in runs scored, seventh in batting average, third in on-base percentage, sixth in slugging percentage, second in doubles and 10th in home runs.

Here is what team officials said in the press release about the hire.

Executive VP Andrew Friedman: “Derek has proven himself to be one of the better minds in baseball when it comes to hitting. He brings a fresh voice that can help our talented core of hitters reach new heights. His attention to detail and ability to communicate will be great additions to our group.”

Rays manager Joe Maddon: “I believe he is the kind of coach who can create a hitting program that will benefit the organization both at the minor league and major league levels. In our conversations, I found that we share the same philosophy on a number of different areas. He was very clear and concise on his intentions and in the end it was an easy decision.”

Shelton, who lives in Tampa, previously worked as the Indians minor-league hitting coordinator, and before that spent six years in the Yankees organization. He is a former catcher who played two years in the minors for the Yankees before an elbow injury ended his career.