Quote:
Originally Posted by Cod
Doing some research on BR, I found the Tigers are averaging ~2.80 runs per game as of mid-June. Through the same amount of games, this is the lowest of any team since World War II. Even worse, after 59 games, the TIgers posted a team line of .218/.276/.317. That is absolutely terrible...no ifs, ands, or buts.
After, I took a look at the Detroit hitting coach, Scott Coolbaugh. Before Detroit, he was the hitting coach for the Orioles (2015-18), a White Sox assistant (2020), and random minor league organizations. Look at these numbers during his time with the Orioles:
2018 .239 .298 .391 .689
2017 .260 .312 .435 .747
2016 .256 .317 .443 .760
2015 .250 .307 .421 .728 Other than 2018, his teams were hitting in line with the MLB averages (+/- a few percentage points). Coolbaugh's performance with CWS in 2020 was above the MLB average.
I read that AJ Hinch doesn't allow Coolbaugh to talk to the media, so nobody knows what Coolbaugh's philosophy is, etc.. Did AJ Hinch have this mentality in Houston? Or is it something specific to Coolbaugh?
Ken Rosenthal wrote a lengthy article about Detroit's offensive problems last week, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. You can find the article here: https://theathletic.com/3377830/2022...ailing-season/ |
I don't know about Houston but in Detroit Hinch has been very protective of his coaches. A.J. does a weekly piece with the local radio station and he always defends Scott and takes the arrows for him. I'm actually impressed with how he negotiates those weekly interviews. He doesn't shy away from the teams struggles but will not throw anyone under the bus. In this respect he has shown really nice leadership skills. Since we can't hear from Coolbaugh himself we only have what A.J. will share and he insists it is not a philosophical issue. Yet, time and again the Tigers have serious issues with their approach at the plate. Looking at Baseball Savant you can see they lead the league in chase rate and are at the bottom 3% in a number of offensive categories. (WOBA, Barrel %, exit velocity)
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/league
So if it is not philosophy then is it what you were alluding to earlier about coaching head strong players? My worry with the whole Javy Baez deal was you were adding a guy who has one of the worst profiles into a lineup that already had way too much swing and miss. The few hot, streaky weeks he will give you will not make it worth the investment. At this point in his career I don't think a hitting coach has any chance of reaching him. His game is obvious and established and the Tigers signed him anyway. I also don't think it helped that certain players out preformed their career numbers last year. When they regressed to their historical performances in a year where hitting is down across the league we have serious issues.
I have also yet to hear (maybe its out there and I haven't found it) any of the players giving any credit to Scott working with them. I routinely hear it with the pitchers and Chris Fetter. (Although admittedly, the Tigers rank near the bottom in first pitch strike percentage as well) Still, players are giving Chris credit for helping them with their development where you just aren't hearing it with Scott.