Verducci: New Era of Hitting Coaches

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Baltimore, which still is looking for a manager, could make it 16 changes if Scott Coolbaugh does not survive the turnover there. In that case, 22 of the 30 teams will have changed hitting coaches in the past 14 months.

Only five hitting coaches next season will be with the same team for more than three years: Chad Mottola of the Rays (fourth), Darren Bush of the A’s and Kevin Seitzer of the Braves (fifth), Todd Steverson of the White Sox (sixth), and Ty Van Burkleo of the Indians (seventh).

“I had no idea there has been that level of turnover,” said Brewers GM David Stearns, who replaced Darnell Coles with Andy Haines. “This year we recognized a lot of movement among coaches and we attributed a lot of that to changing mangers and general managers generally leads to some movement. But I hadn’t realized the extent of changes in the hitting coach position in the last two years.

“It’s really tough to hit in the big leagues right now. There are a lot of information sources that have become more prevalent in the last five to seven years and they tend to favor pitchers. They tend to favor the participant who is dictating the action. That’s generally the pitcher.”

Disruptive data and technology has heavily favored the run prevention side of the game. Here is what they have done to hitting:

• The strikeout rate has gone up 13 consecutive years. It is now at 22.3% of plate appearances.

• The swing-and-miss rate has gone up 11% in four seasons–in raw numbers, that’s 8,293 more swings and misses this year than in 2015.

 

[interloper]

Coolbaugh did not survive. He has been launched into the sun like a majestic Chris Davis dong. 

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