Darnell Coles resigns, Lee Tunnell and Dan Wright dismissed (per Haudricourt)

[folly412]

Glad we're moving on from Coles. After the overhaul of the lineup, the offense had to be better than that. Don't fully get Tunnel, but it's not a top assistant role and if Derek Johnson is good with it, I'm good with it.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I get a few hitters regressing year to year, but someone had to pay for the sheer number that regressed substantially in 2018. Arcia, Shaw, Pina, Santana, Thames and Braun all went downhill to some degree after good 2017 seasons.

[Underachiever]

LOL at the speculation here about Dan Wright. I know absolutely 0 about the situation, but it's kind of hilarious to think that it is performance related--and how or why the internet would or should care about whether it is or or isn't. There are so many variables involved that it is just...I can't even...

 

Was the head custodian at Miller Park retained?!?

 

I know, I had the same thought. It is funny. He could have not gotten along with somebody for all we know.

I heard it was related to him not using the new cover sheets for the TPS reports.

[And That]

Purely guessing, but I'm thinking Derek Johnson is going to have a big say in terms of the new bullpen coach...

My first thought about Tunnell was that he and DJ didn't see eye to eye on some things. Perhaps Tunnell has more of an "old school" approach or something.

[And That]

I get a few hitters regressing year to year, but someone had to pay for the sheer number that regressed substantially in 2018.

Coles resigned, he wasn't fired. The Brewers, it seems, would have brought him back.

 

In this piece for The Athletic, there's a quote from a prospective candidate for the hitting coach position: “I don’t know, man,” said the potential candidate. “He’s a good hitting coach. Good hitting coaches don’t get up and leave without a legit reason.”

[coolhandluke121]

I get a few hitters regressing year to year, but someone had to pay for the sheer number that regressed substantially in 2018.

Coles resigned, he wasn't fired. The Brewers, it seems, would have brought him back.

 

In this piece for The Athletic, there's a quote from a prospective candidate for the hitting coach position: “I don’t know, man,” said the potential candidate. “He’s a good hitting coach. Good hitting coaches don’t get up and leave without a legit reason.”

 

Could very well be that he deemed a number of players on the Brewers too hard to coach and didn't want to be blamed for their bad plate discipline anymore.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I get a few hitters regressing year to year, but someone had to pay for the sheer number that regressed substantially in 2018.

Coles resigned, he wasn't fired. The Brewers, it seems, would have brought him back.

 

In this piece for The Athletic, there's a quote from a prospective candidate for the hitting coach position: “I don’t know, man,” said the potential candidate. “He’s a good hitting coach. Good hitting coaches don’t get up and leave without a legit reason.”

 

Perhaps. I personally don't think it's entirely coincidental, though, that the hitting coach of a very offensively streaky team who had multiple hitters regress this year simply "resigned".

 

But at this point, it's arguing over semantics. Coles is gone, and the team needs a solid replacement that will hopefully preach plate discipline and not giving up at bats.

 

I've seen Paul Molitor mentioned in several places on Twitter, but I just don't know. I think it could be odd for Counsell to have someone who was undoubtedly an idol when he was a kid working under him on a coaching staff.

[TURBO]

For all we know, Coles was asked to resign to save him the embarrassment of being canned.

 

It is all speculation.

[tmwiese55]

For all we know, Coles was asked to resign to save him the embarrassment of being canned.

 

It is all speculation.

 

I know that's where I'd have my money. Helps him save face which should help in getting other spots.

[ctmyers]

Also worth noting that Jean Segura and Scooter Gennett were cast as guys with significant hitting flaws, only to turn in to All-Star's with other organizations. Villar regressing to a DFA candidate forced Stearns to make moves he probably didn't anticipate. It had to of been difficult to watch a third 2nd basemen improve with another team, only to see Schoop hit himself off the Brewers playoff roster.

 

The Athletic publicized earlier that it was Yelich who recognized a flaw in Arcia's mechanics, which led to the positive reversal. I remember a similar story where Jean Segura returned to the DR over the winter and one of his old coaches told him to lower his hands. That was the catalyst which led to his breakout in Arizona.

 

I think the firing of Coles signals that Stearns and Co. will keep Schoop and hope that the new coach can get something out of him.

[stoutdude04]

Also worth noting that Jean Segura and Scooter Gennett were cast as guys with significant hitting flaws, only to turn in to All-Star's with other organizations. Villar regressing to a DFA candidate forced Stearns to make moves he probably didn't anticipate. It had to of been difficult to watch a third 2nd basemen improve with another team, only to see Schoop hit himself off the Brewers playoff roster.

 

The Athletic publicized earlier that it was Yelich who recognized a flaw in Arcia's mechanics, which led to the positive reversal. I remember a similar story where Jean Segura returned to the DR over the winter and one of his old coaches told him to lower his hands. That was the catalyst which led to his breakout in Arizona.

 

I think the firing of Coles signals that Stearns and Co. will keep Schoop and hope that the new coach can get something out of him.

 

He wasn't fired.

[sveumrules]

I get a few hitters regressing year to year, but someone had to pay for the sheer number that regressed substantially in 2018. Arcia, Shaw, Pina, Santana, Thames and Braun all went downhill to some degree after good 2017 seasons.

 

Hard for me to blame Coles for Arcia when it took sending him down to AAA for him to consider changing his obviously exploitable approach.

 

Shaw had a 121 OPS+ in 2017 compared to 119 in 2018. That's a pretty small degree.

 

Pina posted a 94 OPS+ as a 30 year old getting his first significant playing time in 2017. He posted an 87 mark in 2018. That's just standard regression for an old guy that needed forever to even get a chance in the first place.

 

Coles seemed to be doing fine with Domingo when he went form a 108 OPS+ in 2016 to a 126 mark in 2017. What did Coles do differently to cause Santana to lose all his power?

 

Thames was insanely streaky in 2017. He was streaky & hurt in 2018. Again this is a guy who had to leave MLB, completely relearn how to hit in an inferior league, then come back. Overall I'd say he's done about as expected.

 

Braun has had the same swing since he was in high school. His OPS+ went from 111 in 2017 to 107 in 2018. He also was the 11th "unluckiest" batter this season per StatCast. Based on quality of contact his expected AVG/SLG should have been 294/518 instead of the 254/469 he ended up at. Based on quality of contact he was actually better in 2018 than 217.

 

SoCal Brew Crew Fan pretty much hit the nail on the head for me...

 

...must be something we don’t know.

[Roderick]

Also worth noting that Jean Segura and Scooter Gennett were cast as guys with significant hitting flaws, only to turn in to All-Star's with other organizations. Villar regressing to a DFA candidate forced Stearns to make moves he probably didn't anticipate. It had to of been difficult to watch a third 2nd basemen improve with another team, only to see Schoop hit himself off the Brewers playoff roster.

 

The Athletic publicized earlier that it was Yelich who recognized a flaw in Arcia's mechanics, which led to the positive reversal. I remember a similar story where Jean Segura returned to the DR over the winter and one of his old coaches told him to lower his hands. That was the catalyst which led to his breakout in Arizona.

 

I think the firing of Coles signals that Stearns and Co. will keep Schoop and hope that the new coach can get something out of him.

 

He wasn't fired.

 

semantics

[sveumrules]

Coles is gone, and the team needs a solid replacement that will hopefully preach plate discipline and not giving up at bats.

 

What if Coles was already preaching these things but the hitters either weren't listening or were not skilled enough to execute them?

[PeaveyFury]

 

I think the firing of Coles signals that Stearns and Co. will keep Schoop and hope that the new coach can get something out of him.

 

He wasn't fired.

 

semantics

 

Speculation, not fact.

[pacopete4]

I heard it was related to him not using the new cover sheets for the TPS reports.

 

Well done!

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Coles is gone, and the team needs a solid replacement that will hopefully preach plate discipline and not giving up at bats.

 

What if Coles was already preaching these things but the hitters either weren't listening or were not skilled enough to execute them?

 

That very well may be the case. Could be that frustration led to Darnell's resignation. I will say that it is rare to see a hitting coach replaced on a team that went to the championship series, and was a game away from the World Series.

[pacopete4]

[tmwiese55]

The offense killed them to finish last season and it was the weakness all year again this year in spite adding great high obp contact guys in Cain/yelich. Then it completely disappeared in 5/7 games in the NLCS. It doesn't surprise me at all that they just want to shake it up a bit and get a new voice/eyes. I was hoping for it myself.

[sveumrules]

If we can somehow add one or two more high OBP/contact guys this offseason it will have a much greater (or at the very least, a much easier to measure) impact than whomsoever we hire as hitting coach.

[markedman5]

It wasn't great against the Dodgers but the Dodgers pitching had a lot to do with that.

 

Our offense actually out scored the Dodgers in the series by 1........

[jerichoholicninja]

If we can somehow add one or two more high OBP/contact guys this offseason it will have a much greater (or at the very least, a much easier to measure) impact than whomsoever we hire as hitting coach.

 

This exactly. It's a team full of flawed and bad hitters. We have absolutely no clue what Coles does behind the scenes, but unless he's telling the guys to take pitches over the plate and then flail at anything the pitcher throws with 2 strikes I'd give Coles 5-10% of the blame for the hitters sucking.

[TURBO]

If we can somehow add one or two more high OBP/contact guys this offseason it will have a much greater (or at the very least, a much easier to measure) impact than whomsoever we hire as hitting coach.

 

I think that is an opinion.

 

That would not be measurable, especially before it even happens.

[And That]

He wasn't fired.

semantics

It really isn't.

[sveumrules]

If we can somehow add one or two more high OBP/contact guys this offseason it will have a much greater (or at the very least, a much easier to measure) impact than whomsoever we hire as hitting coach.

 

I think that is an opinion.

 

That would not be measurable, especially before it even happens.

 

Brewer wRC+ by position 2017/2018

 

C: 84/76

1B: 132/128

2B: 85/78

SS: 95/63

3B: 116/111

LF: 90/132

CF: 82/125

RF: 125/115

 

The positions where we made the two biggest gains (CF/LF) are the positions where we added the two best players. The easiest way to improve the offense is to get better players.