We hadn't really discussed the coaching staff as a whole here on Talking Chop and I was interested to hear your thoughts. In case you missed it, our staff was completed on Friday with the hiring of Larry Parrish as our new hitting coach. Here's a look at how we stand for 2011:
Manager: Fredi Gonzalez
Pitching Coach: Roger McDowell
Hitting Coach: Larry Parrish
Bench Coach: Carlos Tosca
1B / Infield Coach: Terry Pendleton
3B Coach: Brian Snitker
Bullpen Coach: Eddie Perez
We obviously haven't seen all of these guys work together yet, but here are a few of my early thoughts.
- Fredi Gonzalez averaged 80.7 wins a year in his three full seasons in Florida. What will he do with a team that has a much, much higher payroll than that of the Marlins, a top-5 minor league system, and a bevy of talented, young hitters and pitchers? I don't know about you, but I'm expecting big things.
- Why the hell is Brian Snitker still at 3rd base? I know he's a good guy and he's been with the Braves forever, but he has no business coaching at 3rd. It seemed like we couldn't go more then a few games in 2010 without a costly decision being made by Snitker to hold or send the runner. I really wish Fredi would change this.
- It's not easy to replace a legend like Leo Mazzone, but Roger McDowell has done an incredible job since taking over in Atlanta. Veterans like Tim Hudson and Javy Vazquez have thrived under him and Derek Lowe now has a completely new and improved approach on the mound that might've rejuvenated his career. And let's not forget Tommy Hanson is already a top-20 pitcher in the NL at the old age of 23.
- Using a player's stats to determine if he'll be a good hitting coach is stupid. Did Larry Parrish have a low on-base percentage as a player nearly thirty years ago? Yeah. But does that mean we'll instantly turn into a team that hacks away at the plate? Of course not. Some guys are better players than coaches and vice versa. All reports indicate Parrish is a great worker and will do whatever he can to help our hitters. As of right now, that works for me.
- It's great to see Eddie Perez remain our bullpen coach. Gotta love that guy and all of his experience should be great for our young relievers like Kimbrel and Venters.
- I'm thrilled that Terry Pendleton is no longer our hitting coach, and I'm curious to see if he improves our awful infield defense. Adding Freddie Freeman should help, but we have to improve as a whole if we're going to win a championship. He was a fine defender back in his day and we can only hope TP is a better infield coach than he was a hitting coach.
- I'm really bummed Chino Cadahia will no longer be on the coaching staff. He seemed like a phenomenal guy, and it always looked like he was close with the players who weren't originally from America. Plus, who couldn't fall in love with THIS?