Chad
Chad

It did not take the Atlanta Braves long to make their first splash of the offseason. Frank Wren fired hitting coach, Larry Parrish, last Friday. This came as a surprise to no one except maybe Fredi Gonzalez.

Fredi Gonzalez went on record last Thursday by saying “all of his staff will return next season.” The reason behind this decision was that he didn’t want his staff to be looking behind their back wondering if their job was in jeopardy. This was a nice sentiment that Gonzalez made to his staff. I am certain that each member of the 2011 staff felt comforted by Gonzalez’s vote of confidence.

The next day, Parrish was told to pack up and move out. The confidence that Gonzalez tried to give his staff was all but destroyed with this move. I am not saying Frank Wren made a bad move, but I am saying that Gonzalez needs to make certain that what he says to the media will actually be what transpires before saying that the entire staff will return. Furthermore, Gonzalez seemingly thought he had more power than he actually did.

What is disturbing, however, is that Gonzalez didn’t feel like a change was needed when he spoke with the media the day before. I would think that he would know how the professional sports’ world works. If a team suffers a devastating collapse like the Braves did, someone inevitably will not have a job. Luckily for Gonzalez, this was his first season behind the wheel. Look at the toll that the collapse in Boston brought upon that team: Terry Francona does not have a job. He won two World Series in Boston. That accomplishment had not been done since the Curse began.

Gonzalez got a bogey because he was a new coach. His thought process should be that he does not want to repeat the same mistake twice. Thus, Larry Parrish had to go.

Maybe Gonzalez wanted his staff to feel like he was a good guy. So, Wren making this decision can remove some of the blame.

The search for a new hitting coach should pick up after the playoffs conclude. My hope is that they hire a former MLB hitter to be the coach. Guys like Tony Gwynn or Cal Ripken, Jr. are guys that were successful hitters that could be great hitting coaches. I know that they have other responsibilities and are probably not options, but someone that has a track record of hitting should be a good choice in my opinion. (I think Mark McGwire has done a great job in St. Louis, though Matt Holliday, Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman make his job look easy).

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