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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
355 comments Add your comment
reckingball
October 31st, 2010
9:41 am
Well, at least Bobby is gone.
reckingball
October 31st, 2010
9:42 am
That will help the Braves.
DMac
October 31st, 2010
10:33 am
DOB, maybe you can’t predict whether Parrish will be a success or not, but I can. He’s going to be mediocre just like this whole organization has been mediocre since it was purchased by Liberty Media. The only thing that will ever change the mediocrity of this franchise is a real (not a corporate) owner, to whom the front office and manager will have to be accountable. Until then it will just be more of the same.
61 year Braves Fan
October 31st, 2010
10:34 am
I was hoping for Corky Miller
MJ
October 31st, 2010
10:42 am
Give the guy a chance. ANYBODY would have been better than TP. He destroyed hitters and their confidence. Andruw and Frenchy come to mind first. A real hitting coach would have corrected those flawed htting styles. I would challenge anybody to name one player that struggled at the plate that TP ever helped get back on track.
Ok – just because he never hit .300 does not mean he cannot teach others. In golf, Ledbetter and Haney are two of the best instructors around, and they never won a major tournament, and were never on the PGA tour. However, they coach players every week who are PGA players and have won majors. Just because they were not blessed with the skills required to win does not mean they cannot teach others. The same applies to baseball, tennis, etc. Let’s give Parrish his opportunity to succeed before we say he is not capable. The players need a different approach and style – TP has been killing them.
Good luck Larry. Get Jason on track please. TP was killing him! Get B Mac, Chipper, Nate, Diaz, etc hitting like they can. Prado and Infante were both struggling near the end – fix those guys too. I think it’s too late for Lee, Ankiel, & Glaus – hopefully Wren will make a good trade for a #4 hitter in the off season. Frank W – try not to give away the ranch to get a 4 hitter like you did for Texiera. The Rangers are still loving you for that trade.
David O'Brien
October 31st, 2010
11:03 am
DOB, maybe you can’t predict whether Parrish will be a success or not, but I can. He’s going to be mediocre just like this whole organization has been mediocre since it was purchased by Liberty Media. — DMac
Beautiful. Thanks, DMac, always a burst of sunshine. Enjoy Sunday.
Hillbilly Deluxe
October 31st, 2010
11:09 am
If hitters won’t listen to the hitting coach (and there are some of those on every team), then he can’t help them. He doesn’t go into the batter’s box, either. Ultimately, it’s up to the hitter, to hit.
beachcomber
October 31st, 2010
11:23 am
61-Year, thanks for mentioning Corky – a spring training legend with a huge homer over at Disney a couple years back. He was supplanted this year by Jesus Sucre who had a similar spring blast. By the way, can we at least give Parrish maybe until the end of April before we stone him?
Ava Crowder's Butt
October 31st, 2010
11:38 am
.255 avg., 16 dingers, 140 rbi’s, 3 stolen bases – major league numbers for arguably the best hitting coach ever in Charlie Lau. I’m guessing most MLB folks that have been around a while would consider him or Walt Hriniak, who learned his trade from Lau to be the most impactful. For those not familiar with the guy and the names Hal McRae, Amos Otis and Willie Wilson, who learned from Lau, don’t ring a bell maybe the names, George Brett, Carlton Fisk, Frank Thomas and Mark McGwire, who also learned from Lau and/or his method, do. Parrish may be great or terrible in the end, but to use his batting statistics as a measure is just idiotic.
champ
October 31st, 2010
11:50 am
folks u can continue to insult terry p and bobby cox-the actual player have to have enough nutts to perform when the big lights are on! our guys choked liked hell,whats up brooks conrad?
never seen so many fans cry about a batting coach who simply tweeks players swings-its like firing the wr coach in the NFL because recievers are dropping alot of balls-they actually have to catch the ball themselves no matter who the coach is!
KJ
October 31st, 2010
12:10 pm
SERIOUSLY GUYS IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT BASEBALL YOU KNOW HIS 260 BATTING AVERAGE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT KIND OF COACH HE IS OR WILL BE…LEO MAZZONE WAS A MINOR LEAGUE PITCHER AND ONE OF THE BEST PITCHING COACHES OF OUR TIME YET NEVER PLAYED IN THE MAJORS…RUDY JARAMILLO (CHICAGO CUBS HITTING COACH) ONLY PLAYED 4 YEARS IN THE MINOR LEAGUES NEVER A SINGLE GAME IN MLB BUT HE IS PROBABLY THE BEST HITTING COACH OF OUR ERA…HE WAS WITH TEXAS FOR A LONG TIME ALONG WITH OTHER TEAMS AND HE HAS DEVELOPED NAMES LIKE JEFF BAGWELL, JUAN GONZALEZ, IVAN RODRIGEZ, MARK TEIZEIRA, MICHEAL YOUNG, ETC….MILT THOMPSON IS PROBABLY THE NEXT BEST AND HE WAS ONLY A 274 CAREER HITTER…..BOTTOM LINE IS YOU DONT HAVE TO BE A GREAT PLAYER TO BE A GREAT COACH….JUST TO PROVE MY POINT AGAIN HOW GOOD A PLAYER WAS BOBBY COX????
champ
October 31st, 2010
12:16 pm
kj youre right on point, good perspective!
Coach
October 31st, 2010
12:17 pm
If you notice, the better hitting coaches in baseball are career .250-.280 hitters. You cannot teach a particular player how hard to hit the ball, all you can do is show them how to hit the ball and what to do to correct mechanics. Your .300+ hitter isn’t likely to be a productive coach over the long term due to the fact that they were such good hitters. Your hitting coach that is a career .250-.280 hitter has alot more to show/teach hitters basically because they had more instruction while they played. The hitting coach cannot hit the ball for you, all they can do is teach. TP was a career .280+ hitter and you witnessed the job that he did (and he was a MVP player with a batting title under his belt!)
James Taylor
October 31st, 2010
12:18 pm
What about Jerry Royster, or seriously… Ralph Garr-he does own a batting title-I think the chose Parrish because Greg Norton turned it down!
James Taylor
October 31st, 2010
12:21 pm
Do you guys really think the reason Smoltz, Glavine and Maddox were good was because of Leo? I bet even Cox could win with those three in the rotation. Oh, wait a sec……
Coach
October 31st, 2010
12:31 pm
I think the move to get Parrish was a wise move for the Braves. The big thing for me is, that Parrish has a passion for hitting and to teach. It seemed to me as if TP possibly distanced himself from certain players. Now instead of standing in the dugout and filling it with seeds, he can form a nice mountain of them at first base. Personally, I was sad to see Hubbard go, I really liked him. I would’ve thought TP got the boot when changes had to be made, but hey, at least the team will certainly hit more(they can’t hit any less!)
KJ
October 31st, 2010
12:36 pm
James Taylor…stupid people make stupid posts….he with out a doubt helped smoltz, glavine, and maddox….some of the others that shined under leo are denny neagle, john burkett, russ ortiz, jaret wright, damian moss (do you even know who he is?…it is a fact that average difference in a pitchers era will under leo is -.63 thats over half a run every 9 innings and it doesnt include the big 3….dont believe me check out this link: http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2005/03/the_mazzone_eff_1.php
ramblingman
October 31st, 2010
1:16 pm
The goobers who are whining about Parrish and making predictions that he will fail are the same goobers who swore all summer long that the Braves would never make the playoffs and would wind up in 3rd or 4th in the NL East. In fact most of them are the same goobers who swore that they alone had the baseball knowledge that allowed them to share with us mere mortals that the season should just be cancelled because the Phillies and Yankees were going to be in the Series.
They are too wrapped up in their own egos to even realize how silly they look. That, and the fact that people from middle school don’t mind looking silly.
Coach
October 31st, 2010
1:36 pm
I really am shocked that Leo hasn’t picked up a pitching coach gig somewhere in the majors. I mean, you can’t blame Baltimore’s pitchers inability to listen on him. We all know that Leo is kicking himself for leaving Atlanta.
Kat
October 31st, 2010
3:02 pm
David O’Brien
October 29th, 2010
9:46 pm
Kat: What are you, some kind of Trent Reznor freak or something? (smile)
——————————————————————————————
Fan not freak
Consider yourself a Cash freak?
David O'Brien
October 31st, 2010
3:22 pm
Kat: Yes, I’d consider myself both a Cash fan and freak
Kat
October 31st, 2010
4:24 pm
David O’Brien
October 31st, 2010
3:22 pm
Kat: Yes, I’d consider myself both a Cash fan and freak
———————————————————————————
To each his own on describing their fandom
Although according to Websters I might actually be one, haha.
Rilo
October 31st, 2010
4:51 pm
wow…I have a passion for hitting…a great work ethic and I like to have an impact on people….maybe I should get my resume out there.
reckingball
October 31st, 2010
5:01 pm
Bobby is gone, anywho.
Tdawg in Stockbridge
October 31st, 2010
6:45 pm
It doesn’t matter who they hire, the overall team batting average will not improve until they get a big power hitter in the middle of their line-up, to protect Chipper & Jason. I think Jason Dunn from Cinn, is available, put him in the middle and hire me as hitting coach and watch the improvements.
James Taylor
October 31st, 2010
7:06 pm
KJ, How ’bout them Orioles under Leo? STUPID!
Mungo
October 31st, 2010
7:15 pm
Who in the HELLLLLL is Jason Dunn from Cinn. Tdagd in Stockbridge Duh!!!!!!!!!
rainman34
October 31st, 2010
7:50 pm
Cant wait to see who the braves get for left. It wont matter much who the hitting coach is if we dont improve our lineup. Also hope fredi has the balls to put heyward in the three hole instead of chipper.
Trey
October 31st, 2010
9:59 pm
MUTTS, being a good hitter means nothing if you can’t lead. Terry Pendleton was a better hitter than he was as hitting coach.
hAL
October 31st, 2010
10:49 pm
above poster prado wont nned any help and hayctack will just devlope a msterious injury to cover the fact he cant get to anything inside and never could lol
BravesAC
October 31st, 2010
11:41 pm
I like the Parrish hire. When the Braves were looking for a pitching coach to replace Leo, they got advice from around the league that led them to Roger Mc. That hire sure worked out. It seems they followed the same approach in hiring Parrish. I like the looking both inside AND outside the orginization for the right guy.
Bill
November 1st, 2010
12:17 am
Insider said Philly was interested in signing Diaz……..is he a free agent?
Booby's Blunders
November 1st, 2010
8:53 am
We should withhold judgement until we see how this works out. There is no way to know in advance how effective he will be. However, the situation is difficult to understand – a hitting coach with almost no experience and and his hitting background is as a slugger with a low BA – but you never know. Also, keeping McDowell is difficult to understnad when he has had a significant, significant number of pitcher injuries every year since coming to the Braves. Of course, this may or may not be his fault, but it does not speak well for his conditioning program or his overall handeling of pitchers. There have been so many injuries under McDowell, it would seem that the Braves would at least try something else.
THEOBGYN
November 1st, 2010
9:45 am
Sounds like a shot in the dark… We’ll see…
mark bradley's 70's fro and mustache
November 1st, 2010
10:01 am
Fish Bisch
October 29th, 2010
2:56 pm
didn’t larry parrish play basketball for the Celtics?
way tooo funny
NORRIS
November 1st, 2010
10:19 am
Its pretty sad that they keep Pendleton on the staff and let go of Hubbard. Hubbard gave a career to the braves. A decade. He was a face of the braves. Pendleton was nothing more than a hired hand to come in and help. He was only here just a short time.
This is what the braves have come to. No loyalty to people who gave a lifetime. We keep Pendleton only because he has a local business and no one else wants him.
.
November 1st, 2010
10:45 am
Norris u know the real reason?
Curt
November 1st, 2010
11:16 am
the Braves were at or near the bottom in fielding last year. Some of that can be attributed to players moving positions due to injuries but something had to be done and while many here only see the “1st base coach” part of Pendelton’s duties, his real job is to work with the infielders.
I am not sure that was Hubbard’s job the last few years, but if it was, he did a terrible job because the Braves have been declining in fielding percentage over the past few years. Something had to be done to fix the problem. It is clear that Pendelton can not teach hitting, lets see how he does with the infielders.
Booby's Blunders
November 1st, 2010
11:19 am
It seems that the opportunity that finally, finally came to make a clean break with the Cox influence and the Cox way of doing things – is now probably being wasted.
David O'Brien
November 1st, 2010
11:37 am
It seems that the opportunity that finally, finally came to make a clean break with the Cox influence and the Cox way of doing things – is now probably being wasted. Bobby’s Blunders
Poor Booby’s Blunders. Looks like life will continue to be… “gloom, despair, and agony on me. Deep, dark depression, excessive misery….”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TDqvD34hEA
dpelfrey
November 1st, 2010
12:29 pm
Pendleton had no previous coaching experience before they hired him. At least Parrish has been a successful coach in the minors. Just because we haven’t “heard” of the experience he has doesn’t mean he’s not qualified.
If you all remember, people were like “what the heck” when they hired McDowell after one interview because he impressed them that much. So that tells me Wren is a pretty good judge of character, so why not trust him here.
dpelfrey
November 1st, 2010
12:33 pm
And you guys have a warped view of what major league coaches do. It’s not like little league where they’re teaching skills and fundamentals. The players at the major league level know how to play. All the coaches do is help them when there’s a problem that needs to be fixed. There wasn’t a problem with Conrad or Infante’s technique those past few weeks, they just missed plays, clear and simple. It’s not the coaches fault for not running the players through enough drills.
@WreckBuZZ
November 1st, 2010
1:19 pm
I think I’m starting to come around on the change in hitting coach. At first I was a little miffed, because I like Terry Pendleton. Maybe I was madder that he was not even interviewed for the manager job. But I’m glad he was not fired completely. TP is a great baseball man, he knows the game beyond just hitting, and the Braves will be better by having him on the staff compared to Hubbard and Cadahia.
But now that they’ve hired Larry Parrish and with some of the comments made, I think this might be a refreshing change and add to the overall coaching staff’s value. I think TP was very good from the standpoint of “approach at the plate” I think that’s fairly obvious given the high on base percentage this team has hand (particularly once they got rid of stubborn holdouts like Andruw Jones and Jeff Francoeur).
But maybe Parrish has a better acumen for “mechanics at the plate” which comes in handy when a hitter loses his way. Sometimes when you aren’t making the good contact you want, taking a lot of pitches only serves to make you more vulnerable to pitchers. So maybe Parrish can keep Braves hitters mechanically sound to go along with the sound approach that TP cultivated with these hitters.
Ian
November 1st, 2010
1:37 pm
Has anyone though about the Braves possibly aquireing Jose Bautistia……….during the Escobar trade it was said that the Braves and Jays talked about Bautistia…
Lance Parrish
November 1st, 2010
2:10 pm
Thanks for hiring my brother, Braves. But I would have been a better choice. I was an outstanding defensive catcher and I could fix that part of McCann’s game. I also hit .281 career-wise with power before the steroid era. If I had played in 1998 I would have hit 80 homeruns.
Anyway, did I mention that I was a great defensive catcher ?
I like listening to Johnny Cash too. Only when there’s absolutely nothing else to listen to…
Lance Parrish
November 1st, 2010
2:13 pm
That song “Boy Named Sue” was my favorite J.Cash hit. I always heard it playing when I stopped in truckstops to take er whizz.
Lance Parrish
November 1st, 2010
2:18 pm
Larry can do as much as TP did I promise you. He loves to eat sunflower seeds and sit around and do nothing.
mexican brave
November 1st, 2010
2:51 pm
this blog is dead..need people to continue commenting as if it was regular season..miss you all
the real Old Gold
November 1st, 2010
4:28 pm
Can’t get worse.
va chop
November 2nd, 2010
3:28 pm
Rick Camp must have had other things to do
Bleu_Bayou42
November 2nd, 2010
7:37 pm
I recognize the name, I think I had a few of his baseball cards back in the day. Other than that, it’s a wait and see attitude for me. I know nothing about the dude. My crystal ball says, this is Chipper’s last year. He’ll take the following year off and then he will become the Braves hitting coach in 2013………
jwill
November 3rd, 2010
5:31 pm
bill pecota was great player back w kc before coming here did they interview him
Thomas
November 3rd, 2010
7:00 pm
When it was reported that Pressley was interviewed for the Job of Hitting Coach, some of you wrote that Freddi was doing so because he worked with Pressley in Miami, now that he hired Parrish some of you still have a gripe. Sorry guys that he did not hold a referendum or conduct a poll to get input from all of you.
Some of you even stated that Parrish only coached at the Minor league Level as if that matters. Guys just relax and stop believing that you all have the answers for everything, yes we want the Braves to be successful, but I am more concerned with who they sign in free agency to play left field and centerfield than who the hitting coach is.
Thomas
November 3rd, 2010
7:05 pm
For those of you who blame Pendleton for the Braves poor hitting, what have you to say about the Rangers potent hitting lineup during the WS.
Why could their Hitting Coach, who most of you may have thought was great, not help them to get out of the slump in any of the four WS games in which they scored fewer than five runs and were shutout twice.
aqworlds hack
November 7th, 2010
7:13 pm
ty