Colorado Rockies dismiss hitting coach Carney Lansford, third base coach Rich Dauer

Jim Tracy stepped down from his position as Rockies manager on Sunday, and the Rockies have started to gut the rest of the coaching staff in his absence.

As reported by Troy Renck of the Denver Post, hitting coach Carney Lansford was dismissed from his position on Monday. In a slightly less prestigious move, the Rockies also dismissed third base coach Rich Dauer.

Lansford had finished his first season as Rockies hitting coach with solid team hitting numbers at Coors Field, but mediocre ones on the road. He was an offseason pickup for the Rockies after they fired Don Baylor.

Until the Rockies have a new manager in place, the two new coaching vacancies will likely go unfilled. Lansford had originally worked in the organization before getting fired, and another in-house candidate getting the job would not be surprising. Jason Giambi may emerge as a possible candidate for the hitting coach position, assuming he doesn't want to continue playing next season.

No official reasons were given by the club for either dismissal.