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355 comments Add your comment
jfreak13713
October 29th, 2010
5:54 pm
How many hitting coaches do you really know by name? Come on guys you don’t know THAT much about baseball!
Alan 10
October 29th, 2010
5:54 pm
Great move and for those of you that don’t know him as a ball player, be prepared to see the difference he instills in hitters that TP could not. Parrish is a fighter, aggressive and he comes with great recomendations, he!!, I’m excited. Now lets get to work and improve the OF with a power hitter and help JHey learn to play the OF this spring.
jfreak13713
October 29th, 2010
5:55 pm
addition by subtraction in my opinion.
Cheryl
October 29th, 2010
5:58 pm
I like the choice. If you can get the bad swingers to listen, you’ve won half the battle and he is obviously a good communicator. We have managers in the majors who have had the opportunity to observe the talents one has yet posters have the best ideas. Laughing.
Alan 10
October 29th, 2010
6:00 pm
The manager and coaches have one job, observe, instill and encourage, thats all, but it works when you have the right group working together to form the team, new year coming and a new approach in process.
quitesimpley
October 29th, 2010
6:00 pm
give the guy a chance. hope he makes belivers out of us and team belives in him
AdirondackDave
October 29th, 2010
6:01 pm
Sounds like the guy just might make a difference. His hiring reminds me of yet a 3rd Parrish, Lance who pounded the ball and caught a good game for Detroit. Wonder what he’s doing now?
Cheryl
October 29th, 2010
6:03 pm
How does the opinion of a poster have more validity than the guys who coached against him and saw his work first hand?
WinSomething
October 29th, 2010
6:12 pm
Parrish has recently been managing the AAA Toledo Mud Hens, it seems. A couple of International League titles a few years back. Managing a team in the minors, there is a lot more coaching to do than managing in the majors, so Im sure he knows how to coach players. Im happy with the hire. We will see what it does for the teams approach and if it makes any difference at all. Nothing to do but sit back and wait.
From Southwest Georgia
October 29th, 2010
6:16 pm
Where in southwest Georgia, specifically, does Parrish reside?
Chipper's ACL
October 29th, 2010
6:18 pm
Mike Maddux couldn’t pitch either. Enough said.
David O'Brien
October 29th, 2010
6:32 pm
From Southwest Georgia: He lives between Blakely and Fort Gaines.
Tami
October 29th, 2010
6:42 pm
Supes
October 29th, 2010
2:52 pm
I’m guessing he’ll be here as long as Chipper Jones is playing and doesn’t want to become a hitting instructor in the organization.
Yep…makes things easier to offer the hitting instructor position to Chipper when he’s ready to retire. It’s pretty much his job, or at least it should be.
Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans
October 29th, 2010
7:09 pm
“Anyone know where Ted Williams’ frozen head is at? Maybe Mr. Parrish does . . .”
I bleeve it’s in one’a them cryonics joints, where it was accidentally removed (OOPS!) and freezer burned.
Luv 2 Hate Me
October 29th, 2010
7:09 pm
People make up your $%#@ing mind. First a lot of people didn’t want Presley becasue he was the manager’s home boi. Now you knock this dude because he’s only coached in the minors. These fans sometimes trip me out and don’t know what they want.
DC Brave
October 29th, 2010
7:22 pm
So he is going to get in the cage and demonstrate? Shoot if he can move, maybe we should give him a shot at the LF job.
I like the sound of this…fresh perspective. Sounds like we went out a signed a real former “baseball player” from back in the day.
Bubba Joe
October 29th, 2010
7:25 pm
What a bunch of DORKS. Give the guy a chance.
Hoosier Aaron
October 29th, 2010
7:28 pm
David, I really liked this comment from our new hitting coach…
“all hitters are different and he doesn’t believe in trying to make them the same, but rather accentuating their strengths”
Not bashing TP but I do think he tried to make all hitters hit like he did.
Some guys are gap-to-gap hitters and others are grip-it-and-rip-it hitters…Jose Bautista falling into the latter category this year. Everything he hit this year was pulled (and many were over the fence). I don’t think anyone in Toronto was trying to make him hit like Ichiro.
Welcome to Atlanta, Mr Parrish, now let’s get to work turning The Ted into a “Hitter’s Park” and least when we’re batting.
jed
October 29th, 2010
7:50 pm
a hitting coach is a lot like a pitching coach. you know what makes a good pitching coach? good pitchers.
Bring Back Blauser
October 29th, 2010
7:53 pm
give parrish a chance little does anyone know the the greatest hitting coach of all time only hit .255 had 16 home runs and only had 140 rbi from 1956-1967 his name Charlie Lau
New Era
October 29th, 2010
8:04 pm
Good luck Coach Parrish. You probably never read this blog, and I suggest you never do. Thanks for the update DOB.
Dave
October 29th, 2010
8:10 pm
For those of you who are questioning this move, I have two words for you:
1. Walt
2. Hriniak
Look him up.
You want a teacher as hitting coach, not a superstar. Ted Williams, Pete Rose, and Maury Wills sucked as managers, whereas guys like Bobby Cox, Tommy Lasorda, Cito Gaston, et al, were excellent managers, because they ate, drank, and slept the game. I’ll take a guy any day who flamed out in AA, but has the “baseball mind,” over a .350 hitter with 600+ HRs, who’s so one-dimensional, he couldn’t teach a kid which end of the bat to hold.
I just hope Parrish is the kind of guy who’ll have the Bravos base-hitting the crap out of the other teams, doing to them what they’ve been doing to us for so long. I want to see the Braves overcome a 15-run deficit in the ninth inning for once, rather than the other way around (yeah, I know; I’m exaggerating, lol).
David O'Brien
October 29th, 2010
8:18 pm
Bring Back Blauser: The vast majority of the top hitting coaches all were mediocre major leaguers or worse, and some — like Rudy Jaramillo, apparently a saint on this blog — never made it out of the minors.
Jaramillo never even made it out of Double-A. He was a .258 career hitter in the minors with a .299 OBP, 11 homers, 53 walks and .640 OPS in 1,005 plate appearances. Whew. Born hitter. (Fifty-three walks in 1,005 plate appearances? That’s Frenchy-esque, only without the power. And in the minors.)
Oh Nah!
October 29th, 2010
8:28 pm
Ain’t that the truth DOB. Some real idiots on here. I like that he wants to make an impact. The Braves could clearly use anything to get our bats right. People around baseball vouch for this guy. The people that read this blog don’t. Hmmmm….I wonder who I should trust? Fans really are stupid, huh?
Oh Nah!
October 29th, 2010
8:29 pm
@New Era: HAHAHA that’s funny! Yeah, I hope he doesn’t read the blog either. A lot of negativity here.
Toccoa Concerned
October 29th, 2010
8:39 pm
Back to the BC days. Before Cox
ijudgenot
October 29th, 2010
8:40 pm
Maybe this is just coincidental, but Parrish as Detroit’s AAA team managed the kid the Braves picked up over the summer for the outfield, Winton Ramirez who at one time was a Detroit top 10 prospect.
Muffie
October 29th, 2010
8:50 pm
Lots of haters on the blog. I can see the headline now, “GOD TAKES BRAVES HITTING-COACH JOB” and the subsequent posts saying that God never hit a lick in the bigs.
Kat
October 29th, 2010
9:11 pm
I like how he plans to mix if up knowing that each guy is an individual hitter. Hopefully we can see his impact this season. (Listening to the Social Network soundtrack right now, it’s great!)
Bird Dog
October 29th, 2010
9:15 pm
Where’s Larvelle “Sugar Bear” Blanks when you need him?
Bird Dog
October 29th, 2010
9:16 pm
The “Curse of Glen Hubbard” will forever haunt da braves!
Churchy
October 29th, 2010
9:27 pm
Congrats to Parrish and welcome to the team.
Even though you no longer are a player, you will be cursed and bad mouthed when the Braves don’t hit. But when they do hit, you will be forgotten.
CECIL UPSHAW
October 29th, 2010
9:41 pm
As Artie Jonhson(of rowan & martin’s laugh-in fame would say)VERY INTERESTING BUT NOT SO SMART!!!!
Bravefaninok
October 29th, 2010
9:41 pm
* Two-time All-Star (1979, 1987)
* Hit three grand slams in a week (July 4, 7, and 10, 1982), tying the MLB record set by Jim Northrup
* Compiled four career three-home run games, including one instance where the home runs came on consecutive bats (July 30, 1978), and is one of only eight players to accomplish the feat in both leagues (Babe Ruth, Johnny Mize, Dave Kingman, Cory Snyder, Darnell Coles, Claudell Washington and Darryl Strawberry are the others)
* four league championships as manager:
o 1993 (Niagara Falls of the New York – Penn League)
o 1996 (Jacksonville Suns of the Southern League)
o 2005 and 2006 (Toledo Mud Hens of the International League)
looks like a good baseball guy to me!
E-6
October 29th, 2010
9:44 pm
What is this obsession that a guy had to have a .320 lifetime batting average to be a good hitting coach? Perhaps the three best over the past couple decades – Lau, Hriniak and Jaramillo never topped .260.
David O'Brien
October 29th, 2010
9:46 pm
Kat: What are you, some kind of Trent Reznor freak or something? (smile)
Hoss10
October 29th, 2010
9:54 pm
Wow, some of you people are ridiculous! A guys hitting career (or lack thereof) has nothing to do with their ability to COACH!!! As DOB and some others have mentioned, many think highly of Rudy Jaramillo and he was a below-average minor league player. On the flip side, Ted Williams, thought by many to be the greatest hitter ever, was known to be a bad coach when he was with the Senators. Someone’s hitting career is not a proper judgment of their teaching abilities. Some people on here are clueless…
From Southwest Georgia
October 29th, 2010
9:56 pm
DOB: What’s Bobby Dews role to be next year? Did he get the boot, or will he be back in a similar role as he had in ‘10. Sounds like Parrish, who lives between Blakely and Fort Gaines, doesn’t live too far from Dewsy, who resides near Edison.
gcs
October 29th, 2010
10:12 pm
Now the ignorant have someone new to blame when things go bad.
.
ramblingman
October 29th, 2010
10:24 pm
As I said in the Presley thread, those who have already pronounced Parrish as a bad hire do two things – reveal themselves as capable of making idiotic comments, and reminding me of those who “pronounced” that the Braves would never make the playoffs this year, and that the Phillies and Yankees would meet in the Series, and that blah blah.
Goobers who keep bringing up that he was not a good enough hitter to be a hitting coach seem to think there is absolutely no reason to interview anyone ever. Just look at their records. Hire the person with the highest career average for the hitting coach and the guy with the most career wins as the pitching coach. Simple! Done! Of course, how do you then hire the manager? Player with the highest total of wins by the teams he played on? Well, shoot, sign me up!
Honestly, do some of you bother to read the venom you spew? It gives headaches to those of us who actually think. Put down the mouse, change the channel away from Cartoon Network, and go to bed. It’s late.
Welcome aboard, Larry. Ft Gaines is a great area. My grandfather had property there that I spent a lot of time at while growing up. We look forward to seeing what you can do. And please, don’t worry over the fools who like to hear themselves whine. They are not fans, they are barely capable of dressing themselves.
Rowland Office
October 29th, 2010
10:27 pm
Parrish had one of the best days at the plate ever seen at old Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, hitting homers in the third, fourth and fifth inning of a 19-0 Expos defeat of the Bravos in July 1978.
http://rowlandsoffice.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/larry-parrish-owes-us/
Steve
October 29th, 2010
10:40 pm
Does the career batting average really define a good hitting coach? I mean TP had a career average of.270 and lead the NL in hits in ‘91 and ‘92 and won the NL MVP in ‘91. Did it make him a great hitting coach for the Braves? Let’s give Parrish a chance before we slam him. Great playing careers do not translate into great coaching careers. Ask Isiah Thomas!
David O'Brien
October 29th, 2010
10:45 pm
From Southwest Georgia: Indeed, Parrish mentioned that he lives pretty close to Dewsy down in SW Ga.
Steve
October 29th, 2010
10:51 pm
In 12 Major League seasons Roger McDowell had a 70-70 record with a career 3.30 era and 159 career saves. Based on his stats as a Major league pitcher I think he has been a very good pitching coach! Bobby Cox played 2 years with the Yankees and had a career batting average of .220 and hit 9 career homeruns. Won 2504 games, 5 pennants and 1 WS. I’m just saying……
RBraves Fan
October 29th, 2010
11:21 pm
Some of you folks just don’t think before you post. Being a great hitter depends on a lot of stuff other than technique – reflexes, vision, strength, etc. It’s entirely possible for a great teacher of hitting to not possess the other stuff necessary to be a great hitter himself. Does it take a great gymnast to teach gymnastics? Is Jack Nicklaus the only one capable of being a great golf coach. I suggest we wait and judge him on his results as a hitting instructor.
Whopper Dawg
October 29th, 2010
11:26 pm
Well, that is pretty stupid, I hope like that is not an indication of Fredi’s decision making abilities, but of course, it is.
Bill
October 29th, 2010
11:32 pm
Love the fact that Larry Parrish bring new ideas and different out look from other origanizations to Braves. We needed new blood in coaching positions. New life to a non-exciting team. I wish Fredi and Parrish and other the best of LUCK . Down and dirty baseball I hope. Welcome to Atlanta.
ajc pariah
October 29th, 2010
11:36 pm
Relax Davey,I too regret the lack of basic baseball knowledge on your posts.Seems the sale of those pills are rampant.To your’s and Freddy’s credit,a breath of fresh air is welcomed.At least here on this humble,Though,regulated or censured,blogger’s posts’.Parrish ain’t chopped liver.Yeah, yeah,I’m old enough to have seen him play.Stan Musial he was not.Game he was.Get the bellows going Bro,we need a really hot stove this winter.
ajc pariah
October 29th, 2010
11:37 pm
Moderated,I meant.
TheAntiMe
October 29th, 2010
11:43 pm
I think that in coaching, as well as managing in MLB, the people who were not naturals, talent-wise often do a better job simply because they had to work harder at learning to do the most with the talent they were given. In contrast, the ultra-talented players often don’t do as well in coaching because it all came so much easier to them and they can’t relate to why the average player can’t hit .330 with one hand tied behind their backs like they could when they played.
It does seem that Parrish is definitely worthy of being given a shot as hitting coach. Of course, it’s a given the many folks around here will be calling for Parrish’s head the first time the Braves go into a week-long hitting slump. You could hire the resurrected Ted Williams as hitting coach and would not be able to please some people.
Brother John
October 29th, 2010
11:55 pm
I like the hire. But can anyone tell me which is the better “good ‘ole boys’ club?” Our highly esteemed Congress, Senate, state legislatures — or Major League baseball? Oh, I forgot about the NFL. How many times can you get “fired” and then pop right back up as some other team’s coach?? It boggles the mind! Reeves FIRED! Shows up as Falcon’s head coach. The list is endless in the NFL. Just goes on, and on, and on……
Nobleman
October 30th, 2010
12:02 am
I like the hire, new blood, new upbeat change, I hope he does well. Go Braves how many days till spring training?
ward
October 30th, 2010
1:33 am
when wren speaks he should just sut up! he has no credibility any more!
ward
October 30th, 2010
1:35 am
i like the new hitting coach, but wren should shut his pie hole.Go!!! Braves!!!
Parrish brought on as Braves hitting coach - MLB.com - Read latest baseball news, shop for tickets and souvenirs - Baseball Sports Page
October 30th, 2010
1:52 am
[...] Parrish as hitting coachRotoworld.comBraves Name Larry Parrish as Hitting CoachAtlantaBraves.comLarry Parrish hired as Braves hitting coachAtlanta Journal Constitution [...]
Ray Parker Jr.
October 30th, 2010
2:30 am
Same as it ever was. – Talking Heads
The Braves have turned into the K-Mart of MLB. Can’t wait to see who they sign to play left. What happened to this organization?
Ray Kinsella
October 30th, 2010
4:37 am
I remember all of the Wren bashers, from this time last year,
Give this new coach a chance people.
Oldbravesbag
October 30th, 2010
6:39 am
What makes a good hitting coach is a good eye, a good sense of timing, patience, and the ability to communicate physical movements to a player with mostly words. It’s a process that involves critical thinking and whittling that down to simple terms for the players. Less is more should be their mantra.
Bobby's chauffeur
October 30th, 2010
6:47 am
Larry Munson never went to Georgia… … The Bull Dogs should have hired an announcer that could call a game. You all knew Larry was going to be a bust when he was hired.. right…..
davidingeorgia
October 30th, 2010
7:37 am
Lovely…a guy who wouldn’t know a walk if it bit him in the butt as a player (almost 3 times as many K’s as walks)…career OBP a sparkling .318…typical “well, he’s a good guy in the clubhouse and we can go huntin’ and fishin’ together in the offseason” selection. There are a LOT of guys who know a lot about hitting who don’t have much if any experience as a coach either…did NONE of them like to hunt and fish? As useless as Pendleton was as hitting coach, always good to be careful about saying “the new guy can’t be any worse”…the Braves will prove you wrong on that every time.
Mungo
October 30th, 2010
7:50 am
At this level what does it really matter??? Perfect example= What did Jarimillo bring to the Cubs. Duh !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Or Leo;s handling of the Bird’s pitching stafff. Ouch..) You have to have hitters before you can have a hitting coach. Come on Wren, get use a couple “BigBats” …then we will can sing the praises of how Parrish has turned us around….
The lack of knowledge is..
October 30th, 2010
8:30 am
rampant on this site. He’s been a minor league manager for many years, how many coaches do you think that minor league team has? Two or three. So I’m sure he has been working with hitters while a manager.
reckingball
October 30th, 2010
8:33 am
Well, at least Cox will be gone.
reagan
October 30th, 2010
8:35 am
E-6……………..what branch?
Randal Patrick McMurphy
October 30th, 2010
9:01 am
IF he can manage to get thru to these kids and they listen, this could be a real important addition. His hands-on approach & interaction with the players would be nice if a mutual trust develops. These kids need a little guidance to get their confidence levels up when they’re struggling… let’s see how Larry goes about his business…
Speaking of Larry, in this case Chipper Jones, I’ve always thought that him being a hitting coach was a natural after his playing days are done. Go figure…
kaminari
October 30th, 2010
9:08 am
Fresh faces are cool. I vaguely remember this guy in the 80s. But the choice seems so conservative, much like these Braves.
North Fulton
October 30th, 2010
9:18 am
What was wrong with TP? The Braves were a good hitting team over the past fews years. Right???
DoninTococca/78
October 30th, 2010
9:41 am
Maybe we need the season to start like in January so we can find out how all of these changes are going to pan out. Or, we can wait until next March and really see what is happening! Just saying…
Steve
October 30th, 2010
9:43 am
I like the Parrish choice. I would have been fine with Presley. I didn’t have any problems with us keeping Pendleton as the hitting coach either.
A hitting coach can make a small difference, but they rarely cause a player to slump. It’s their job to get a player out of a slump. About the only thing that can be done to hurt a player is to tell them to become less or more aggressive. It changes their whole approach and almost always spells doom. The problem is, those orders don’t come from the hitting coach typically. That’s an organizationla philosophy usually set in place by the head coach.
Any of these guys can and would have likely done a good job.
Spencer
October 30th, 2010
10:12 am
I’m just sad to see Chino leave the team. He had a lot of mangerial experience from when Bobby got tossed. It would’ve been great to see him stay on.
Norm
October 30th, 2010
10:31 am
Copied from a George Brett’s Bio “In an effort to boost Brett’s average, Royals batting coach Charlie Lau worked with Brett on hitting to all fields on every type of pitch. Brett soon learned to adapt to any pitch, instead of merely waiting to crush fastballs. Meanwhile, Hal McRae, acquired by the Royals the year Brett came up, taught him aggressive base running. The results spoke for themselves: Brett led the American League in hits and in triples in 1975. His batting average climbed to .308. ” Lau played MLB for about ten years,. The most hits he had in a season was 73, RBI’s 27 and BA .255. Yet he was considered a good / great Hitting Instructor. “Lau served as batting coach for the Royals from 1971 to 1978 and taught his spray-hitting style to Hal McRae, Amos Otis, Willie Wilson and George Brett. Other hitters to use Lau’s method include Carlton Fisk, Frank Thomas and Mark McGwire.” ” Lau developed a list of “Absolutes” about hitting, which included:
A balanced, workable stance;
Rhythm and movement in the stance (as opposed to standing still);
A good weight shift from a firm rigid backside to a firm rigid frontside;
Striding with the front toe closed;
Having the bat in the launching position as soon as the front foot touches down;
Making the stride a positive, aggressive motion toward the pitcher;
A tension-free swing;
Hitting through the ball;
Hit the ball where it is pitched, rather than try to direct it.”
hAL
October 30th, 2010
10:55 am
they sholda hired brad kommisk to work with haystack he could have related to the overhyped star lol
Mutts
October 30th, 2010
10:58 am
Larry Parrish was a good choice. He was a good hitter in the majors and I wish him well.
GOP Cannon
October 30th, 2010
11:00 am
If you guys are upset about this move, this is nothing compared to how pissed you are going to be when free agent signings start!
Big Dawg
October 30th, 2010
11:11 am
Just a little information for us all to ponder about Larry Parrish…….let’s give the man a chance. Sounds like he’s eager to help and can bring in some fresh blood to the organization.
* Two-time All-Star (1979, 1987)
* Hit three grand slams in a week (July 4, 7, and 10, 1982), tying the MLB record set by Jim Northrup
* Compiled four career three-home run games, including one instance where the home runs came on consecutive bats (July 30, 1978), and is one of only eight players to accomplish the feat in both leagues (Babe Ruth, Johnny Mize, Dave Kingman, Cory Snyder, Darnell Coles, Claudell Washington and Darryl Strawberry are the others)
* four league championships as manager:
o 1993 (Niagara Falls of the New York – Penn League)
o 1996 (Jacksonville Suns of the Southern League)
o 2005 and 2006 (Toledo Mud Hens of the International League)
[edit] See also
* List of top 500 Major League Baseball home run hitters
klaus
October 30th, 2010
11:27 am
I have to agree GOP.
These managerial and coaching moves will look like winning the lottery in two-three months when its clear no impact bat is coming.
If they resign Diaz to a two year deal to avoid an arb raise you will know where this team is headed.
Until Liberty moves on this team won’t get over the hump and certain folks in the FO will stay employed when they should have been mercifully released.
TP is not the only person who dodged a bullet in this brain trust.
2000-2012* (*when they will be sold or free of bad contracts) Braves = Day late and 1-2 dollars short – lots of “almosts” and “we won more games that last year”, “if so n’ so didn’t get hurt…” rational but still fishing in October.
There is no magic to building a winning team. It is as hard as hell to be sure but it takes a balanced team (offense, defense and pitching), great mgt, some financial flexibility esp. when you are close and a balanced farm system (arms and bats).
The Braves have an unbalanced team that relies on pitching, the have ok mgt that needs to prove itself, no financial wiggle room at all, and a unbalanced farm system that has basically zero impact offensive talent now that FF is coming up.
It will be tough to do more that skid at the finish line for the next few years until some bad contracts are gone (including Chipper’s) and or Liberty sells at the end of the 2011 season opening the doors to a new era of Braves strategy where sifting through the FA dumpster is not plan A2.
klaus
October 30th, 2010
11:45 am
In fairness to Wren if he is willing to part with pitching talent (majors and minors) he can accelerate the end of the near misses but it will come with a risk.
I don’t envy this guy. He is walking a tightrope between trying to win now and not mortgaging his team’s future.
If Liberty would give him some room he could do more but it appears that isn’t in the cards.
keef
October 30th, 2010
12:12 pm
I think I see the strategy. Parrish is going to be a player/coach and spell Chipper and Heyward from time to time….Liberty Media kindly offered to pay him $42,112.17 to play both positions AND coach.
Terry McGuirk agreed saying: “I really see an upside to this signing. We are able to have a young (56) year old play both positions and coach all the while keeping within our $80 million dollar 2011 payroll. I see it as a win-win scenario. $80 million is where our payroll sweet spot is and NOT a penny less!!!!” Although with the SF Giants doing so well at $55 million, we may want to consider that number in the near future…LOL
PLEASE Arthur Blank…Save us…SOS…
jim
October 30th, 2010
12:55 pm
The interesting quote fromParrish in the DOB preamble was that he came to the Braves, as opposed to some other organization, because he felt he could make a difference here. There is not much he can do, or need do, to “make a difference” for Chipper, McCann, Prado, or Omar, and He’s not going to make much of a difference with established players like Gonzo who set in their ways and have been semi-successful. If he really thinks he can make a difference and has convinced mgt. that he can, then he must be referring to players like Heyward, Freeman, and to a lesser extent, people like Diory, W. Ramirez, and Schafer, whom he is most familiar with from his time in the IL. Heyward had some holes exposed late in the season and stopped hitting the ball where it was pitched. His last solid line drive hit was the HR off Niese in the Met series in early September. If Parrish thinks he can make a difference here, it is because he thinks he can make the needed adjustments for Heyward and Freeman to allow them to live up to their potential.
DMac
October 30th, 2010
12:58 pm
The hiring of Parrish continues the Braves tradition- of mediocrity and getting by on the cheap. Who hires a hitting coach with a lifetime batting average of .263? This franchise is so continuously dysfunctional and disappointing.
Gumbylovespokey
October 30th, 2010
1:04 pm
If I were the new Braves hitting coach, I would simply get all the position players together before each game and tell them to get off their a@@es, get out there and make me look good, otherwise they’ll be ripping me a new one daily on the AJC blog.
And why do people want to see Arthur Blank pushing Chipper around in a wheel chair in foul territory at every game? I don’t think that will guarantee us any more wins but I could be wrong.
jim
October 30th, 2010
1:14 pm
I did not include McLouth as a player whom a batting coach might single out as a reason for selecting a team with which he sees himself being able to make a significant difference. Obviously McLouth is a project, and good instruction may help him return to the player he had been the year previous to his trade to the Braves. However, both 2008 and 2010 may have been aberations in the career of a 240-250 hitter with ~15 HR capability. If he were to return to a 250 15 HR season next year, it will be taken by some as a tribute to LP and poor reflection on TP rather than McLouth being the player that he really is. I don’t think Parrish was thinking of McLouth, in particular, when he thought that he could make a difference with this team.
David O'Brien
October 30th, 2010
1:15 pm
DMac: You just aren’t reading any of the other posts, are you? The ones about Hriniak, Jaramillo, etc.? Or do you just dismiss the fact that, as hitters, they couldn’t carry Parrish’s jock? I have no idea whether Parrish will be a good hitting coach. I do know that whether a hitting coach — or pitching coach, or manager — was a great, good or mediocre major league or minor league player is entirely irrelevent when it comes to predicting success as an instructor.
bigstack19
October 30th, 2010
1:16 pm
I stopped being critical of coaching hires when the Falcons hired Mike Smith and I was like, “Who is this clown?” “Why would they hire him?” “He is certain to fail.” He has proven me wrong and it showed me that maybe people who make these decisions for a living might know what they are doing more than a fan with an opinion.
TOMY FOURNIER
October 30th, 2010
1:17 pm
Enter your comments here
TOMY FOURNIER
October 30th, 2010
1:18 pm
The important think for now…is the work he is going to be “DONE”!!!
Klesko Fan
October 30th, 2010
1:44 pm
Well …. anyone is better than TP as Hitting Coach, but .263 career avg Larry Parrish???? Guess Hulk Hogan turned down the job? Just kidding! Hopefully this turns out to be another one of those brilliant Braves moves where they hire someone who didn’t exactly have a stellar MLB career (or didn’t even make it to the bigs …. hmmm who was the last one that fit that bill? ……. Oh yeah, one Mr. “5 yrs until HOF Call” Bobby Cox!
Welcome to Braves Nation Mr. Parrish. We’re diehards like the rest, just not recognized as such.
Klesko Fan
October 30th, 2010
1:46 pm
Oops, left out that Freedi is the one that didn’t make it to the Bigs, and while Bobby did, he didn’t spend much time there b/c of his knees, and didn’t have a great MLB career.
bring back blauser
October 30th, 2010
3:56 pm
wren has done a great job with the ownership he has liberty should be able to sell the team soon i sure hope mr terwillger or mr blanks or best of all mark cuban are waiting in the wings when this franchise is sold to someone who like ted turner will infuse finances into it we will have a winner i think frank wren has done quite well with his hands tied i think the hiring of larry parrish was a great move
Clowns Gone Wild
October 30th, 2010
4:02 pm
Funny to read the clowns who blame TP for the Braves hitting woes. These nuts forget about Prado, Infante, Conrade, Diaz…Not to mention Heyward, McCain and Glauss’s resurgence before his knees disintegrated…
Bravefaninok
October 30th, 2010
4:57 pm
Klesko Fan
October 30th, 2010
1:44 pm
Well …. anyone is better than TP as Hitting Coach, but .263 career avg Larry Parrish???? Guess Hulk Hogan turned down the job? Just kidding! Hopefully this turns out to be another one of those brilliant Braves moves where they hire someone who didn’t exactly have a stellar MLB career (or didn’t even make it to the bigs …. hmmm who was the last one that fit that bill? ……. Oh yeah, one Mr. “5 yrs until HOF Call” Bobby Cox!
Welcome to Braves Nation Mr. Parrish. We’re diehards like the rest, just not recognized as such.
I think the rules for managers is different after age 65 if they retire i believe it is 6 months to be eligible.
Bravefaninok
October 30th, 2010
5:07 pm
Eligible candidates:
· Players who played in at least 10 major league seasons, who are not on Major League Baseball’s ineligible list, and have been retired for 21 or more seasons;
· Managers and umpires with 10 or more years in baseball and retired for at least five years. Candidates who are 65 years or older are eligible six months following retirement;
· Executives retired for at least five years. Active executives 65 years or older are eligible.
Bravefaninok
October 30th, 2010
5:09 pm
DOB does this rule make Bobby Cox eligible in 2012 ????
Choppinmama
October 30th, 2010
5:45 pm
We’ll have to keep open minds about Parrish’s success as hitting coach until about 6 weeks into the season. Sure hope “the people that convinced Wren” that Parrish was the guy for the job were doing the right thing for the team and not just the man.
Not being a hitting coach in the majors, nor “for a little while” in the minors is a little worrisome, but knowing the some of the players from the minors, knowing the coaches and having a rep as a good teacher are blocks to build on.
Now he can ruin his eyesight for the next few months by watching a LOT of film on the guys at the plate. Get to know their swing and tendencies and go into ST with the swing catalog in his head.
The last thing Hubbard was heard to say after the season was over: “I am not wearing that ##**!^^% batting helmet again next season………and you can’t make me.”
Choppinmama
October 30th, 2010
6:05 pm
Look, folks. Try to think of the new hire’s expertise in this manner: we all sit here at home and KNOW we know how to run things better than the current team manager, base coaches, hitting coach, players in the field and when the players are up at bat.
We all KNOW we know how to do most everything better: better hires, better contracts, lineups, pitcher rotation, bullpen use, game management, execution of plays, steal situations and pitch selection. We all KNOW better, but none of us has ever played in the majors, have we? He’s been on the field a lot more than we have, and we could coach with our eyes closed. He at least has some experience.
Coach Parrish, show us what you got. Let’s see if we all can BANK ON IT!!
Narrow Urethra Franklin
October 30th, 2010
7:49 pm
Next year, the Braves are going to change their name to: Bobby Cox 2: Electric Boogaloo.
Taco Perez
October 30th, 2010
8:44 pm
Wren said. “He likes to work, he likes to makes an impact.”
this sounds like a REAL GOOD start…………….He likes to makes something
Bill
October 30th, 2010
9:52 pm
I am looking forward to next year. All the winter trade talk with DOB and fans will be great. Fredi and the Braves will play at the Ted and the place will be Rocking. amen! Lets play ball.
Texas just won game 3 of WS.
LMAO
October 31st, 2010
12:39 am
WOW if it were magic some people would have people posting in the majors……. Does a track coach coach speed or does a track coach refine technique to take advantage of the natural talents of runners….. Same with a hitting coach….. hitting is first a natural gift, then confidence…… What player has made it to the majors that batted under 200 from high school…. just would not happen
The job of a pitching coach is to see what a pitcher does well and why…….. Posters (some) need a posting coach…. not to hit the keys but to help with logic….. Hitting coaches look better with Sheffield, Drew, Chipper, Crime dog ….. think about it TP would be better with the Cardinals
bring back blauser
October 31st, 2010
1:10 am
i just hope parrish gets the hitters to hit to all fields and not to take the first pitch power does not seem to be the way of the braves spray the ball around and play a b c ball it worked for years for the cardinals under whitey herzog i know he had all that speed but the braves need to play the basics get on get over and get it in