ESPN REPORT: The Atlanta Braves Head Coach is Being Fired Due to…
Atlanta After losing out on a second consecutive postseason trip due to a September flop, the Atlanta Braves are making changes.
On Friday, the first alteration occurred when hitting coach Larry Parrish was let go after just one season. It was unexpected that the announcement would be made the day after manager Fredi Gonzalez declared that every member of his team will return in 2012.
As it happens, all of the players are coming back with the exception of Parrish, who was cut despite having one more season remaining on his two-year deal. Under his guidance, a number of batters showed significant regression, and the Braves ended 10th in runs scored and 13th in the NL in batting (.243).
Despite the fact that the Braves still owe Derek Lowe $15 million for the final year of his contract, general manager Frank Wren of the organization stated that it’s uncertain whether the righthander will be in the rotation the following season.
The 38-year-old right-hander finished the season with a 5.05 ERA and a 9-17 record.
Conversely, Wren stated that right fielder Jason Heyward, who is hitting just.227 with 14 home runs and 42 RBIs, will have to work hard to maintain his position in spring training.
Although Parrish’s dismissal wasn’t entirely unexpected, Gonzalez and Wren’s apparent communication breakdown was evident in the manner it was handled.
“We couldn’t go forward with 2012 without changes,” the general manager stated, mentioning the hiring of a new hitting coach. “An exhaustive search” for Parrish’s replacement was what Wren pledged to do.
“I felt we weren’t on the same page philosophically,” Wren stated. “I’m not sure the message got through to the players.”
Throughout the season, the Braves’ offensive deficiency was a major issue, but it was highlighted in September when the team blew an 8½-game lead. During the last month, Atlanta hit less than.200 with runners in scoring position and averaged little over three runs per game.
Even more concerning, a number of players saw significant declines from the prior campaign, including Heyward and Martin Prado, who were 2010 All-Stars (going from.307 to.260).
Heyward, a 21-year-old who hit.277 with 18 home runs and a.393 on-base percentage, finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. Heyward blasted a home run in his first at-bat of the season. This season, his on-base percentage fell to.319, and he struggled to make the kind of adjustments the Braves believe are essential to his long-term success.
He’s no longer the franchise’s future; in fact, he’s not even assured a starting position for the upcoming season.
“He is going to engage in combat. “He’s not always our right fielder,” Wren remarked. “He’s a young man full of promise. Potential is nice, but we need production, general managers say.
Wren did, however, emphasize that Heyward has not been discussed for trade.
Next April, Lowe will be in a comparable situation. The Braves will not be nearly as patient as they were this year, when Lowe made every planned start despite never being able to fix a mechanical issue. This is because they have a lot of young, good pitchers. He was a big part of the Braves losing a seemingly comfortable lead in the wild-card chase by losing all five of his starts in September.
“It’s hard to project him as one of our starters at this point,” Wren stated.
According to STATS LLC, the Braves had led the wild-card race at least once since June 9 before losing to Philadelphia in 13 innings on the last day of the season. In September, Atlanta played nineteen games, finishing one game behind St. Louis.
