Terry Pendleton on hitting: “That individual has to step up”
Terry Pendleton was hurt when he heard Jeff Francoeur had gone to Texas to work with Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo. He told Francoeur as much.
Said Pendleton: “Honestly? My pride gets in the way. I asked Jeff, ‘Why didn’t you come to me?’ Obviously he felt the need to go elsewhere. It’s his winter. [But] it bugged me at first. Not hearing it from him, that got me more than anything. I told him, ‘I thought our relationship was better than that.’ ”
Pendleton has been the Braves’ hitting coach since 2002, and he’s held in high esteem within the organization. But it did seem odd that the conspicuously flailing Francoeur would consult an instructor on another team’s payroll, and some have taken his Texas sojourn as a vote of no confidence in Pendleton.
And with the 2009 Braves starving for offense and the prized prospect Jordan Schafer being demoted after striking out 63 times in 50 games, the cry has gone up on AJC.com blogs: Pendleton must go! (Never mind that the Braves have hit above the National League in each of their seven full seasons under T.P.)
If Bobby Cox has anything to do with it, Pendleton is going nowhere. “Terry is good,” Cox said, emphasizing the adjective. “He’s an endless worker. He works harder than any hitting coach I’ve ever seen.” And Cox has worked alongside some fine ones: Cito Gaston, Clarence Jones, Don Baylor, Merv Rettenmund.
Said Pendleton, told of Cox’s wholehearted endorsement: “I appreciate that. It’s worth a lot.”
Does a hitting coach actually matter? “If I answer that, I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t,” Pendleton said. “I always think there are things I can do better, and I’m always asking the players questions: ‘What do I need to do better?’ Physically, I think I can help a guy prepare. Mentally, you can do a lot of talking, but sometimes that individual has to step up.”
Still, a hitting coach feels it when a pupil fails. Pendleton again: “Chipper [Jones] and I were talking the other night, and I was saying I felt like I let [Schafer] down. You try to do everything you can for these young guys – sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.”
Loading ...It isn’t as if Pendleton doesn’t know how failure feels. He hit .324 as a Cardinal rookie in 1984. But, he said, “I didn’t know how to make adjustments – henceforth .240 and .230 [the next two seasons].”
And how was the same guy able to win the batting title and be named MVP in 1991 as a Brave? “I adjusted.”
Asked if he feels Pendleton is a good hitting coach, Francoeur said: “Absolutely.” So why head for Texas? “Sometimes you’ve got to work something out. Even with Rudy, the final week I was there I was changing something else. Guys do that all the time. Chipper goes to his dad. Mac [Brian McCann] goes to his dad.”
Has his work with Jaramillo damaged his relationship with Pendleton? Francoeur: “We’ve talked about it. We’re working together now. I really can’t say much. It is what it is.”
Pendleton is a pro’s pro. He’ll always work hard to do the job he’s paid to do. “Guys have struggled before,” he said, “and I tried to assist them in getting it right.”
But this is the same Pendleton who walked off the field in Cincinnati in 1993 because he didn’t think Braves pitchers were protecting their hitters. The man does have a code.
And he also has a point: Sometimes a hitter has to step in and step up. A hitting coach can’t take every at-bat for his team. Goodness knows these Braves would be better served if theirs did.
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214 comments Add your comment
Mark C.
June 4th, 2009
4:10 pm
Good point on McCann MB. Aren’t his numbers better now than they were in the minors? Did he have the same Dad?
brewdawg
June 4th, 2009
4:10 pm
The Glavine blog is getting buried, so I apologize for putting this here, especially since I just posted it on DOB’s column. But I wanted Mark to read this, since he knows how I feel about Brave icons.
I remember back in the mid to late 80’s, when I was six or seven, the Braves ran Phil Niekro out there one more time so that he could retire a Brave. I remember he got beat pretty soundly. I also remember that nobody cared. What sticks out to me was the rousing ovation he got, the heartfelt tip of the cap to the crowd, and how, even at my young age, I cried.
I thought I was going to experience that twice more with Smoltz and Glavine, but now I won’t even get to once. More importantly, there is a six or seven-year-old out there right now that won’t be able to either. They won’t get to see that sometimes even grown-ups can play a game where a win or a loss is the least important outcome.
Turk 182
June 4th, 2009
4:12 pm
The title of the blog juxtaposed with the opening paragraph make it seem like that quote from Pendleton was aimed at Francoeur when it was actually about no one in particular, just his philosophy. That first paragraph seems a little opportunistic in it’s attempt to marry the two together to make it seem like Pendleton is talking specifically about Francoeur. But nonetheless a good read and a subject many of us have openly wondered about on the AJC blogs.
Dozer
June 4th, 2009
4:13 pm
Can anybody tell me what Bobby is responsible for?? Isn’t he the boss? That’s why I thought they call him the M-A-N-A-G-E-R. He should be setting the rules here. He should be making Golden Boy take more pitches (duh, take sign) and sitting him down if he doesn’t at least manage his plate discipline better. All we ever hear in this town is what Bobby ISN’T responsible for – this situation never should have gotten to where it is today, and its all because it wasn’t managed. Make Francouer step up and be accountable if he doesn’t. As stated here before, he hasn’t changed because he hasn’t had to.
Chief
June 4th, 2009
4:13 pm
Mark, what I don’t see in your post is a player who can explain how TP is a good hitting coach. If he is good, I expect it wouldn’t be hard to find a player that speaks strongly – and specifically – in his favor. Instead, you get Francoeur saying he’s a good coach, then going elsewhere for counsel. Did you look, and fail to find, a Braves player who could talk about how Pendleton had made him a better hitter? Thanks.
Mark Bradley
June 4th, 2009
4:14 pm
Good one, Mark C. I’m pretty sure B-Mac didn’t change Mac daddies when he got called up.
And you know, appropos of nothing, I asked Bobby Cox the other night, “Do baseball people still say, ‘Take two and hit to right’ ?” And he said, “That’s still the best advice.”
fed up with wren
June 4th, 2009
4:15 pm
I would like to see more stats than just BA for the NL. What about BA with runners in scoring position, OBP, OPS, etc. The bottom line with TP is that the Braves haven’t been able to consistently score runs for several seasons. In addition, they have guys seeking help elsewhere and more than one hitter with little or no plate discipline. Speaking of Jaramillo, he has apparently done some solid work with Andruw Jones this year and I think Frenchy’s problem is that Jaramillo is not around to reinforce what he taught Jeff over the winter. Jeff was great in spring training and started out well, but has gone back to his old habits since then. I said on the blog the other day that I like and respect TP as a former player that had done a lot for the organization, but it’s time for him to go.
dwayne
June 4th, 2009
4:16 pm
Frenchy needs to be down in triple a to adjust his swing and attitude on hitting. If he comes up in a pressure situation, you could throw the ball toward the dugout and he will swing. He really is not that good. All the hype when he was first coming up has hurt him, and he should be moved, so it will help him and the team.
Dave
June 4th, 2009
4:19 pm
I wish they would make Pendleton a bench coach if they are trying to keep him for when Bobby Cox retires. I would bring in a professional hitting coach I don’t see Pendleton as that type of guy based on what he has done. I rated him pretty average.
Rez
June 4th, 2009
4:19 pm
I’ve heard the easiest out in NL, possibly MLB – JF. Depressing.
Dawg'94
June 4th, 2009
4:22 pm
What the heck is there a hitting coach on the pay roll for in PRO baseball anyway??? The guys are pros!! What doees TP do?
Mark Bradley
June 4th, 2009
4:24 pm
The Braves were seventh in the NL in runs scored last season, third in batting average, third in OBP, seventh in OPS. And that was a 90-loss team that saw its right fielder hit .239, its center fielder injured and then traded, its left-field platoon spoiled by injury and its first baseman traded in July.
Mark Bradley
June 4th, 2009
4:25 pm
What does Pendleton do? He points out the pros’ cons.
MLH
June 4th, 2009
4:28 pm
I was arguing with someone the other day on one of these blogs about BMac having sub-par numbers in the minor leagues with the same dad, but once getting to the Majors he flourished.
I got no where with that argument.
Not Scared
June 4th, 2009
4:29 pm
Coaching is a small factor when to performing. The best coaching in the world won’t make you or me a .300 hitter. It will only help or prepare YOU to utilize YOUR skills. YOU are the one at the plate. Maybe TP isn’t getting through to some of these guys but his coaching doesn’t make them a .200 hitter. They make themselves that.
Time to cut bait on Brad Komminsk, ohh sorry, Jeff Francouer. Maybe a fresh start will help him.
45-42
June 4th, 2009
4:30 pm
I think the the statistics validate that TP is doing a solid job overall. I think Frenchy needs to hit the road and have for a good while. Fresh start elsewhere.
BigBravesFan
June 4th, 2009
4:33 pm
Loved TP as a player. Love him now. Do not think he is a good batting coach. He has runied JF. If the Phill’s would have made Howard a hit for average guy he would not have had 40+ HR’s and 125+ RBI’s the last couple of seasons. Let Jeff swing and put someone in back of him that will allow for quality pitches. That being said, I agree that JF needs to take a few walks.
Jack G.
June 4th, 2009
4:36 pm
A small bit of advice for Nate McLough—STAY AWAY FROM TP.
AGTFan
June 4th, 2009
4:40 pm
Good blog Mark. Managers and coaches are always in no-win situation. They’re kind of like weathermen. Everyone remembers their failures or mistakes. No one remembers or notes when they get it right. I’ve never like TP as a hitting coach. I loved him as a player. I think he’ll be a good manager someday. Maybe I’m unfair in not liking him as a hitting coach. When you talk about TPs “success” last season in spite of the things you mentioned, you should maybe include that the numbers were bumped up by having the best hitter in all of baseball.
Jack G.
June 4th, 2009
4:41 pm
BC’s loyalty to his players and coaches is legend. This makes him a popular Mgr.—However this is not always best for the club. It shows poor management and poor judgement which we know Bobby exercises manageing the game and the players
JF McNamara
June 4th, 2009
4:43 pm
The stats don’t lie, so objectively you have to say the Braves have been pretty good over Pendleton’s tenure.
Regardless of that, it’s always the players. Maybe it’s that Frenchy was just never that good, and he just had a hot first 30 games. He wasn’t even a .300 hitter in the minors. He hit .275 over 84 games in AA before getting called up. Is it a stretch that he would perform worse than that in the majors?
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=franco001jef
Send him to AAA with Shafer. It was painful to see Shafer stike out time and time again to an inside fastball, and it’s been a painful two years watching Frenchy strike out on the inside breaking ball in the dirt and outside fastball. Just end it already…
Bob Horner
June 4th, 2009
4:44 pm
Don Baylor was the best hitting coach we ever had… it helped that we had a couple of roiders on the team too, but Baylor was the man
Bobby Cox is DONE!!!!!!
June 4th, 2009
4:47 pm
Why didn’t we bunt last night after the leadoff man got on in the bottom of the 9th?
Bobby Cox is KILLING THIS TEAM!!!!!
He is DONE!
LOST-BRAVE
June 4th, 2009
4:47 pm
since 2002, the braves hitting has really stunk, the braves cannot win a game if they have to score 4 or more run’s.look at how pentelton screwed up andrew jones, and a comment coming from cox,supproting pentelton now really tell me what’s that is worth? cox is to busy picking his nasty nose, and butt on t-v, he do’es not even know a ball game is going on in front of him. how many more game’s do our pitcher’s have to lose 3-2,or2-1, for somebody to wise up and fire our sorry batting instructor? even chipper is not hitting as well since 2002.BRAVES HITTER’S PLEASE RUN AWAY FROM TERRY PENTELTON AS FAST AS YOU CAN.
Alpharetta-bound
June 4th, 2009
4:49 pm
I’m just wondering if last spring training, when Jeff got hit pretty hard in the face by a pitch, near his eye, if that has had a lingering effect on his hitting. Look at McCann and his eyesight issues.
Mmmbop
June 4th, 2009
4:52 pm
I think it is ridiculous for someone to point to one player or even two and say that is the definitive word on whether Terry Pendleton is a good hitting coach. Jeff Francoeur didn’t exactly have great numbers as a minor league player, especially in the patience department (and the same was true as a high school kid, difference was he was just that much better than his opponents, so swinging at the first pitch wasn’t a hinderance to him then). But ever since the competition has been on par with Frenchy, he’s not a Paul Bunyun-type legend, he’s human…very human. And just like how Andruw Jones was a stubborn mulehead and won’t commit to patience, working the count and using all fields, they both have struggled. Only once Andruw Jones hit rock bottom, the potential end of his career, has he shown some signs of intelligence, not to mention discipline with his weight. But Francoeur has the distinction of being the only major league hitter who is frustrating two ML hitting coaches. His flaws as a hitter are not TP’s fault. Neither is Jordan Schafer’s. Schafer was not hitting straight fastballs. That’s not a technique issue, its a competition issue. He wasn’t ready. There is something to be said for getting some AAA action. Neither Francoeur or Schafer had any.
shortcircuit
June 4th, 2009
4:55 pm
Have any of you people ever played any sport? The coaches, any coach can see what people are doing wrong in any sport but if they do not take their advice and try there is nothing else to be done. You can talk untill you are blue in the face and they will not listen. Jeff last night with the bases loaded swung at 4 balls. the pitcher did not throw a strike. Do you think TP told him to swing at anything? So quit blaming the coach. He wanted to be the hero again and hit a home run. Untill he gets his head straight he will not hit above 250. He is a nice guy and I hate to see this happining to him. He has always been the hero and the best on the team and this is affecting him mentally.
Alphare
June 4th, 2009
4:55 pm
Let’s be real. You may have 30 students in a single class with exaxtly the same teacher. But you have students having ABCD or F. That’s how much influence a teacher can have on his students.
Probably everybody who can has told Francoeur not to be a free swinger, but he did the exactly same old thing as I watched last night. If you cannot keep yourself disciplined, the coach cannot break your arms.
Hillbilly Deluxe
June 4th, 2009
4:55 pm
You can fire Pendleton tomorrow and the hitters will still have to do the hitting. Who is everybody going to blame then?
HPB
June 4th, 2009
4:56 pm
Okay, so batting average stats save TP over the last several years. What does that just not feel right to me. Something’s wrong! What is the run production over those same years? Where to we rank in BBs and Ks, oh, and how about SBs? As someone said earlier, you can fill the bases every inning but still be shut out.
How is it too that we manage to this year be a team that can’t play “small” ball BUT NOT HIT HOMERUNS EITHER??? How does that happen? Is it going to take three hits an inning to score a run? Makes those late inning comebacks difficult…..
shortcircuit
June 4th, 2009
4:58 pm
Lost brave, Chipper won the NL batting title last year. No wonder you are lost. You do not know what you are talking about.
Hillbilly Deluxe
June 4th, 2009
4:58 pm
Another point, the difference between a .250 hitter and a .300 hitter is about one hit a week (5 for 20 as opposed to 6 for 20). A little patience and going with the pitch might get you one hit a week.
BT
June 4th, 2009
4:58 pm
If a player refuses to listen to a coach, if he k’s on 4 pitches outside the strike zone with the bases loaded he has to ride the wood.
bfred
June 4th, 2009
5:00 pm
Seriously Mark, can’t you ask Cox point-blank whether JF is ignoring his coaches, or if he’s not being asked to take pitches? I think we could get to the bottom of this pretty quickly.
Also, his response to you asking about “take two and hit to right” would make a politician jealous – “that’s still the best advice.” Nowhere in that sentence does he say he gives it.
Floyd
June 4th, 2009
5:02 pm
The most bothersome thing to me about the Braves of recent vintage is their horrid situational hitting. Runner on second with nobody out? By all means, pull that first pitch to shortstop and fail to advance the runner. Facing a pitcher having control problems? Well, by all means, let’s be sure to swing at the first pitch, even if its out of the strike zone. The list goes on and on.
There’s a total lack of professional hitting fundamentals among certain members of this club that just disgust me to no end. Garrett Anderson, Chipper, McCann, Norton and, for the most part, Kotchman…all four of those guys can be relied upon as fundamentally sound, professional hitters. As for the rest of this team, I’ve seen better fundamental baseball from a team of 8th graders.
As a coach, you can’t go up there and hit for them…but the next time Francouer swings at bad pitches when he knows full well the pitcher is having control issues, then it’s time for Bobby to stop worrying about Jeff’s feelings and sit his rear end on the bench. Immediately. Same for Escobar, the next time he grounds out to short with a runner on second and nobody out. That’s fundamental stuff, people. And it has been killing the Braves for at least three years. You wonder why we lose so many one-run games. That’s why.
shortcircuit
June 4th, 2009
5:06 pm
AMEN Floyd
Bravos
June 4th, 2009
5:09 pm
Look at Franck- ‘K-er’ the last 2 games:
In the first game, JF worked the count and got a pitch to hit out to tie the game. Great (but unusual) job!
In the second game, he swings away like he’s blindfolded and holding a pinata bat.
Why can’t someone point out the difference in strategies, and results? These are professional players and coaches. If some lame fan can see it, why can’t they?
And re: the stats, what would the Braves B.A. be without Chipper? Can TP take credit for Chipper? I don’t know.
Drez
June 4th, 2009
5:14 pm
Ah….maybe Frenchy just can’t cut it as a major league hitter. He goes to the Rangers hitting coach, and he’s having the same results as last year. Hmmmmmm….sounds like JF is the blame for his ineptness at the plate, not TP. I’m sure TP is not telling Frenchy to swing at the first freaking pitch every at bat. JF has no patience whatsoever as a hitter.
AJC
June 4th, 2009
5:19 pm
Call me crazy, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say the Braves will get at least 3 hits within the the 1st 4 innings tonight…I know I know, I could be setting myself up for a huge disappointment. But now that I’ve read where Pendleton’s job involves basically him doing nothing, I feel a little better about the direction of the team.
AJC
June 4th, 2009
5:20 pm
Frenchy should bat 9th.
Drez
June 4th, 2009
5:21 pm
Floyd —- That’s what I’ve been saying for 5 years. If you look at Torres’ Yankees from 96-2004, the entire team worked the count and showed patience. Other than Chipper, McCann, GA, and Kotchman, the Braves have a bunch of impatient hackers. Shafer seemed to swing harder when he had 2 strikes instead of cutting down on his swing. I could retire if I had a dollar for every first pitch BALL that Frenchy has swung at in his career.
Paul From Milton
June 4th, 2009
5:22 pm
You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken s#@* and I still don’t see any evidence that Pendleton is a bad coach. In fact, the numbers that I see indicate the opposite. However, on this blog apparently when a player does well its because his father helped him and when a player does poorly its Pendelton’s fault. Not one person has presented any evidence of how Pendleton’s coaching has hurt a player. You can’t have it both ways, either he is an effective coach or he isn’t. I’ll take the statistics and Bobby Cox’s opinion over some stupid “Pendleton is a train wreck” rant any day.
Mike
June 4th, 2009
5:32 pm
Pendleton needs to be fired. Francoeur goes to Jaramillo in Texas and hits well in the spring and during April. When it wears off, Pendleton can’t bring him back around. Couldn’t fix Andruw, Jaramillo did. Won’t fix Kelly or anyone else either. Hopefully Schafer isn’t ruined. Chipper and McCann can hit despite the hitting coach. What I fear more is Pendleton being the next manager.
Why such hate?
June 4th, 2009
5:33 pm
Gentlemen, The Braves have ranked in the top half of the NL in batting average for the last 6 seasons, what more proof is there? And none of you really have the knowledge to evaluate if he is a good hitting coach or not or otherwise you would be getting paid to teach hitting. Jeff has been in a funk and might need a change of scenery, I personally believe he might still be a good player. But seriously, stop with all the hate on TP and Frenchy
rhynster
June 4th, 2009
5:39 pm
Pendleton is a good hitting coach.
Everyone wanted Clarence’s head on a platter when he was here, too.
You want to blame someone, blame Franceour for not taking anyone’s advice.
Blame Andruw for the same thing.
Blame Schafer for, well, not his fault. Just too young still.
Flyin' Dawg
June 4th, 2009
5:44 pm
At the end of the day, each player makes their own decisions. This is not a question of talent as much as it is a question of maturity. I have played Baseball my entire life, even now in my early thirties I still paly in an 18 and over league, and if I knew in college what I know now, I would have had a much better shot at a career in the game. Instead, when I was 17-18-19 years old, I thought I was the best player on the block. My hard headedness and a few college coaches quickly put me back in check. It is all about patience, but these young guys have to learn that. It is not something that can be coached. TP is a good coach. Cut him some slack. For those of you who are giving him flack, I say grab a bat and go to the 80 mph cage at your local batting cages. If you make contact I will be surprised. JF and JS need to grow up and learn situational hitting. There are times, when coming out of your shoes swinging is absolutely the thing to do, but not when there are two out, two strikes, and the winning run is on second base. CONTACT first, power will come with a natural swing.
"Chef" Tim Dix
June 4th, 2009
6:11 pm
Hey Mark,
Referring to their relationship, Frenchy said, ” It is what is.”
Read anything into his facial expressions?
Did he flash that smile? Shrug his shoulders? Do you sense some tension?
Tony C.
June 4th, 2009
6:24 pm
Yeah but what’s the (team) BA with runners on and 1 out?
Don’t tell me what it is with 2 outs…I don’t want to puke.
Sam
June 4th, 2009
6:26 pm
I’m not even going to waste my time reading all the comments because mine is the truth!!!
I’ve been watching the Braves for years…from the sucky days to the run that started in 91.
They should have won more World Series than the one they won in that strike shortened year.
They weren’t hitting then…and they aren’t hitting now. After all these years….can’t you see that the lack of hitting has more to do than with the hitting coach? Look at all the hitting coaches they’ve had since 91…and they still can’t hit!!!
It’s a confidence/mental thing and the players know the real deal.
As longer as Bobby Cox is in charge….the players know they will always lose the biggest game they play in in the playoffs or World Series. This is Bobby Cox’s legacy.
jrdbraves
June 4th, 2009
6:40 pm
I’ve been watching Francoeur swing at everything since Rome and Myrtle Beach. He saw better pitches when he got to the bigs and his average went up. The everyone caught on. Luck helps but you need a plan when you step in. Look at the situation, now what the count is, and yes as TP said he finally learned, adjust accordingly. Hit the baseball hard in the middle and watch it go or I am going to jump from my 2nd story window one day and tell the newcrew why. I do thing JF has a better attitude about learning than Andrew who was released twice.