Parrish the thought: Braves change minds, can hitting coach
Larry Parrish, seen in his one and only spring training with the Braves. (AJC photo by Jason Getz)
It made no sense that Fredi Gonzalez would announce, barely 12 hours after the worst collapse in National League history was complete, that his entire coaching staff would return. It made no sense that such a flop wouldn’t spawn at least some measure of re-evaluation.
Today the Braves started making sense. They fired hitting coach Larry Parrish. We can only assume Frank Wren saw what everybody else except Fredi G. saw — that the hitting had been substandard all season.
To reiterate: This should not have been a bad-hitting team. This wasn’t a lineup built around the fanciful notion that Troy Glaus might revert to 2002 form. (Although Troy Glaus did, in May 2010, revert to 2002 form.) The lineup the Braves trotted out after the trading deadline was comprised of seven guys who have made an All-Star roster and the league’s best-hitting rookie. Wren stitched together a fine everyday eight.
But they didn’t hit. Or, more precisely, they hit home runs and nothing else. They were third among NL teams in homers, third-worst in on-base percentage. You can manage that without a batting coach.
The Braves hit .235 in September, a time when more hitting was needed to back up a rotation overrun by rookies. They scored seven runs in their final five games. Had they won even one of those final five, they’d have gotten to play a 163rd game in St. Louis on Thursday. The Braves led 3-1 after three innings of Game No. 162 — and worked 10 more innings without a run.
To retain Parrish would have been the height of folly. The man had never been a big-league batting coach and spent the summer proving he wasn’t one. Who among the Braves seemed to hit better under Parrish than under the hugely chastised (and subsequently reassigned) Terry Pendleton? Brian McCann stopped being as patient. Martin Prado got lost. Jason Heyward got so confused he wound up getting benched.
A hitting coach cannot actually hit for his men, but he can instill an approach. Parrish’s approach seemed to be: Swing hard in case you hit something. (The Braves had the fourth-most strikeouts among NL clubs.) This team entered September with baseball’s fourth-best record because it had hit just enough homers to buttress a stellar rotation and a lockdown bullpen, but two starting pitchers were lost and the bullpen began to buckle from the strain, and when that happened the Braves had nothing.
The Braves hit .243 as a team. The average National League player hit .253. Think about that. Think about a lineup of Uggla and Chipper and McCann and Heyward and Prado and Freeman and finally Bourn falling so far below average … and then deciding the batting coach had earned his keep.
Parrish is a nice enough man who surely knows his baseball, but the men under his tutelage performed so far short of expectations and abilities that he could not possibly have kept his job. Simply to retain credibility as an organization, the Braves had to make this move.
By Mark Bradley
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254 comments Add your comment
BROOKS CONRAD
October 1st, 2011
9:38 am
i am getting ready to help in 2012 , freddi says i will start at second.
Curious George
October 1st, 2011
9:44 am
Has anyone spotted Terry Francona at Hartsfield-CrookedMayor Airport yet on an inbound plane from Boston?
wins-by-a-link
October 1st, 2011
9:48 am
Mark, I’m glad that you pointed out Liberty Media as the real culprit in this endless mediocrity, The only reason I can think of why MLB would approve of the sale of the Braves to such an entity as Liberty Media was to break the monoply the Braves had on their division and let the big market Phils win a few, Big money talks.
Curious George
October 1st, 2011
9:52 am
Did Larry Parrish “tip his cap” to anyone on his way out the door?
Retiree1989
October 1st, 2011
10:08 am
Wren needs to make a quick decision on Fredi right now. The longer he waits might mean that his job is in jeopardy. Lets hope so……
P Rose
October 1st, 2011
10:20 am
Token changes (firing the hitting coach) won’t help. There have been 16 consecutive autumn failures since 1995. There is only one link to all those late season meltdowns. In 1995 he was The Sporting News Rookie Of The Year, and since then he has been a 7-time All-Star, a 2-time Silver Slugger Award winner, a league MVP, and a league Batting Champion. He gradually settled into the role of team “leader” by default. The trouble is, despite his personal achievements on the field, he makes a sorry leader. He leads the young players with his bad examples. Never mind that he fathered a child out of wedlock with a sports bar waitress, of all things. He incites opponents with his reckless, cocky public comments (”They can put their Yankees stuff on… We can beat the Phillies…” etc.). He publicly calls out his own players (Heyward) for not playing hurt, then declines to play hurt himself. He excuses himself from the team to attend his son’s minor elective surgery during a crucial stretch drive, leaving them without their “leader” and best hitter. He insults his own fans (telling a reporter last week they could “kiss his [expletive deleted] for criticizing him). He loses the final out in the lights in a must-win game. He goes 0 for 5 in an elimination game. He is arrogant, ignorant, and a hypocrite. This team melts down when the pressure is on because that’s what men of low character do. The young players are simply following his lead. They get downhearted because their leader does.
Chuck
October 1st, 2011
10:40 am
Wonder who is doing the tech uga games today. I bet Mark is in Athens and schultz raleigh.
slydog
October 1st, 2011
10:49 am
P Rose
I have always looked at Chipper as just taking up a spot from some other younger player and costing us too much with our current “tight” budget. However, you have laid out a very wel-thought out “baseball” reason why Chipper’s role with this club is better coming off the bench next season. Whenever teams hold on to washed up relics too long, they always stink. (Think Phillies in the last days of Mike Schmidt!!!) When he retired, a short time later, they went to the World Series.
Dr. Warren
October 1st, 2011
11:11 am
Fake Sonny Clusters continues to write entries here with a few gratuitous verb tense errors to act like he is the real one.
jerry
October 1st, 2011
11:16 am
“Simply to retain credibility as an organization, the Braves had to make this move.”
Credilbility to do what? Win another World Series in the next 45 years?
Fire em all
October 1st, 2011
11:30 am
The hitting coach is one small part of the problem. When have the braves ever hit over the past 6 years?
Robert
October 1st, 2011
11:31 am
* Liberty Media did not hire Fredi Gonzalez
* Liberty Media did not hire Larry Parish
* Liberty Media did not decide to squander a huge chunk of the payroll on Lowe and Kawakami
* Liberty Media did not make the decision to trade Francoeur for a player who is out of baseball
* Liberty Media is not responsible for the failure of hitting coaches to be able to actually coach obviously talented hitters like Jeff Francoeur and Melky Cabrera
I am sick and tired of people making excuses and blaming the Braves problems on LIberty media. The Braves payroll is absolutely plenty big enough to put together a championship team…if you don’t have a fool making personnel and payroll decisions.
And I’m really sick and tired of hearing fans suggest that Gonzalez be fired…not that he shouldn’t…but completely ignoring the one person who needs to be fired the most.
Again…I’ll repeat the question that has been ignored by 99.9% of the posters here:
If Fredi Gonzalez was such a bad hire, why in the hell would you ever, EVER, let the man who hired him, hire his replacement, especially in light of all the other incompetent moves he has made?
bravo bravos
October 1st, 2011
11:36 am
About the strategy in not walking Pence….Linebrink made a good pitch, Pence just hit a weak one where they were not, call it luck, call it battling at the plate….putting Pence on means there is then no room for error…plus the home team is still coming to the plate. If it is a road game, then maybe put him on.
Do have to wonder now about the dynamics between Wren and Fredi. Even if Fredi only meant to say he was supportive of bringing his coaches back, reserving further evaluation by all, then why not Fredi making announcement about Parrish instead of Wren or at least with Wren. Tells me Fredi doesn’t agree with the decision to fire Parish, which does not do much for chemistry between GM and manager.
bravo bravos
October 1st, 2011
11:40 am
About Liberty Media not forking over more money….did anyone notice that two of the playoff teams are two of the lowest payrolled teams in the game. One of those playoff team’s payroll is half that of the Braves.
Klaus
October 1st, 2011
12:04 pm
cluster you are right about the flags. my wife said the same thing last night. she believes they are way to feel better about loosing and provide a false sense of hope.
leaving up there is just sad in her estimation.
and mark i am with you. i’d hire francona in heart beat. fredi with NEVER accomplish what francona has and the sooner wren realizes that the better.
fredi is a life time bench and or third base coach. period.
Robert
October 1st, 2011
12:37 pm
Klaus…neither Fredi, nor Francona, nor LaRussa, nor Guillen, nor Leyland, nor Torre, nor Sparky, nor Lasorda, would ever be able to accomplish squat with an incompetent boob in the front office that’s making personnel decisions.
Peter
October 1st, 2011
12:37 pm
The quality at bats were missing…thus the correct approach missing….. last in the league with at bats moving guys along, and with guys at 2nd or 3rd with less than two outs.
Maybe Jason Hayward will be more productive next year, with a different hitting coach ?
Great job pulling the trigger on Parrish.
Robert
October 1st, 2011
12:45 pm
Peter…it’s like treating cancer with an aspirin. Do you actually feel good knowing that the idiot who hired Parrish in the first place will now hire his replacement? How can you…or anyone else…have the confidence that Wren will make a better choice this time around?
Everyone wants to hold everyone else accountable except for the one person who is most accountable…and that’s Wren.
Peter
October 1st, 2011
1:06 pm
Hey Robert .. maybe I am wrong, but I thought Fredi hired Parrish ?
The Wren discussion is another thing…… I have never liked him, his choices, or the fact he was run out of Baltimore for doing a horrible job.
I think he blew up the team last year at the wrong time, and I really think we would have been better off with Escobar at shortstop, despite is sometimes babyish attitude.
And what is Matt Diaz doing back here ? Please he is the answer for a good outfielder ?
up north
October 1st, 2011
1:27 pm
Didn’t Tito Francona play for the Braves, way back when?
Mark Bradley
October 1st, 2011
1:28 pm
Tito Francona did play for the Braves.
Robert
October 1st, 2011
2:07 pm
Mark…can we see a full article devoted to an in depth analysis of Wren’s performance?
Scalps Galore
October 1st, 2011
3:01 pm
For the sake of the fans, it’s time to take Fredi’s scalp! Either that, or they’ll be playing in front of <5,000/game in 2012.
Scalps Galore
October 1st, 2011
3:03 pm
It’s high time to bring back Joe Torre, a PROVEN MLB manager with leadership skills, a great track record and terrific history as a Braves’ catcher!
Scalps Galore
October 1st, 2011
3:05 pm
What does the Marlins’ GM know that Wren doesn’t know (yet)? – but should!
Scalps Galore
October 1st, 2011
3:27 pm
In the final analysis, the epic collapse must be owned by Wren. It was obvious to many fans many weeks ago that Fredi and his coaching staff were cast off by the Marlins for good reason. What a waste of talented players and season! Maybe the time has come for Wren to sell peanuts and crackerjacks?! – and for his scalp to adorn a 2011 season sign in the outfield.
Scalps Galore
October 1st, 2011
3:53 pm
Robert is right. “A new broom sweeps clean”. Time to clean out the entire management team and start afresh. The players and fans deserve better than starting the next season with ghastly ghosts of the 2011 nightmare.
Mozelle's
October 1st, 2011
4:31 pm
Bradley,
I’m not a Fredi apologist by any means. But I don’t think its fair to imply that Fredi didn’t know “that the hitting had been substandard all season” or feel that Parrish was accountable for it or that he’s out of touch with Wren.
He didn’t call a press conference and announce that all the staff would be back. He answered a question. Probably along the lines of “after this collapse, are all of the staff coming back next season?”
It’s not right for you to imply otherwise because you were PROBABLY THERE. It may have even been YOU who asked the question. At that moment in time that’s the only answer he can give. He hasn’t met with Wren to discuss it, he’s clearly been busy doing other things.
Clearly you know these things.
Furthermore, he is going to stand by his coaches in front of the media. It isn’t fair to them to give a half answer like “we are going to evaluate everyone” because then the media follows up with “are you going to evaluate Parrish?” And then he’s forced to give a half answer or throw him under the bus.
Again you know this.
That’s not the way he works. He stands by his team, players AND coaches. I respect him for that, regardless of his other faults.
It’s CHEAP for you to twist quote by him to imply that he is unintelligent, or out of touch with Wren when it was painfully obvious that he was acting in a loyal and commendable way.
This happens too often in journalism. The writer doesn’t get the quote for which they are looking, so they use the quote they do get in a negative way. It’s a dirty move that only reflects the writer’s frustration and lack of integrity. Journalist do this because they feel they hold a false sense of power over the subjects they cover. It’s as if to say, “If you don’t tell me what I want to hear, I can make you look bad, so you better respect me.”
This is SHODDY journalism and has no place at the AJC where those kind of methods should be unacceptable.
To call for someone to be fired or to call out a coach or GM is you right, and yes, part of your job.
But the most important part of your job is to conduct yourself with high journalistic standards and in that regard you failed.
96sc
October 1st, 2011
4:46 pm
Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said the 62-year-old Baylor resumed his normal duties, including holding regular team meetings with the hitters before Arizona took on the Brewers.
REGULAR
k-baby
October 1st, 2011
5:20 pm
Larry Parish was only half the coaching problem with the Braves this year. If everyone remembers, Freddi Gonzales made a statement (either in spring training or before right after he was hired) that the hitting approach would be to swing more at pitches and stop taking so many like they did last year. I remember thinking, uh oh – we are going to start swinging for the fences and not be good situationally. Turns out my fears came true. Parrish may be a bad hitting instructor, but the hitting PHILOSOPHY was established by Freddi G. So our hitting problems will not be solved until either one of two things happen. Either Freddi G changes his philosophy or he changes employers.
k-baby
October 1st, 2011
5:23 pm
I meant to say hitting coaching problem.
Gritsfed
October 2nd, 2011
4:18 am
The problem with this team is 1) Chipper didn’t hit, 2) McCann didn’t hit, 3) Prado stopped hitting, and 4) Uggla was getting there but never really GOT there! Firing the hitting coach was a start but when you lose your two all star pitchers the hitters have to take up the slack! It seems though they went the other way and just gave up. That’s right, gave up!!!! And did you notice the last month of the year as his bat was slumping McCann’s catching was not so stellar either? I mean he allowed ball’s to recochet off his mit and would not be able to hold on to the ball on thrid strike foul – tips. To me a lot of this gets back to management. David Ross should have been used more; Chipper should have been used less; Prado should’ve been put at 3rd and Uggla should’ve been pushed further down in th line up. But I guess FGonzalez and FWren are too loyal to big payrolls–I mean, if Wren and Gonzalez do what I recommend they’ll make all those big money contracts they gave seem, uh, WRONG? Now don’t get me started on DLowe……
davidinvirginia
October 2nd, 2011
6:55 am
As the old saying goes, “the fish rots from the head down”…this organization won’t be regulars in the postseason again until Fredi “Watch me manage!” Gonzalez is gone, too. Yes, Parrish as hitting coach was a dumb idea from the get-go, but his “if a ball leaves the pitcher’s hand, it’s a good pitch to swing at” is always *Fredi’s* philosophy of hitting…or rather, philosophy of not hitting. And, if we could trade Frank Wren to someone for a bag of batting practice balls and a couple of canned hams, he’d be out the damn door, too, if owned this franchise. Yeah, he’s made a couple of good trades…and done a lot of other brain-dead dumb stuff as well.
davidinvirginia
October 2nd, 2011
7:00 am
“…is *also*…” above…damn keyboard…grrrrr.
re: Heyward…think about this…think back on Heyward’s approach at the plate in his rookie season (patient, seldom swung at balls out of the strike zone, drew a lot of walks, etc, esp. for a rookie…just like he had approached hitting throughout his minor league career) and how Heyward looked at the plate this year (anxious, twitchy, taking big wild swings at almost everything the pitchers threw to him at times)…now, you tell me, did a kid in his early 20s, with a deservedly great reputation for great attitude and coachability, decide to change his approach 180 degrees on his own? Or was this some dumbass idea shoved down his throat by Fredi and his moron hitting coach? Yeah, I know which one my money is own.
Richie
October 2nd, 2011
10:34 am
Put the onus on the players here. The team didn’t not hit for a large majority of the year. These players have a great idea of the strike zone, especially since they are up at the plate every night. Stop swinging at balls out of the strike zone and giving these mediocre pitchers good nights because you make them work for nothing. The Brave hitters act like they have somewhere else to be, other than at the plate and other than playing baseball.
benchwarmer
October 2nd, 2011
12:40 pm
Well Freddi said they would all be back and he was wrong. Chipper said he will be back. I’d like it if he was wrong too. An earlier bogger stated that Chippers main drw back was what he did and didn’t do in the clubhouse and on the field. It’s hard having a long time vet and high performer become a leader of your team when he is nothing beyond a, ignorant old “bacca” chewing redneck. Send Chipper to the American league where he can lose the ground balls in the lights playing DH.
SAL
October 2nd, 2011
2:59 pm
Bourn was a flop that Braves do not need to overpay to get extension beyond next season at this time. In 53 games (227 AB) he hit .278 with OBP of just .321, 15 walks, and 50 strikeouts. These are not the numbers of a good leadoff hitter. He was caught stealing 1 out of every 4 attempt, again not a great success rate. During last 10 games (8 losses) he hit .233 with 4 BBs & 12 strikeouts. Bourn’s numbers as a Brave were rather disappointing. I hope Wren waits to see what Biurn does next year before making another Derek Lowe type signing that will haunt Braves for the next 4 or 5 years.
Scalps Galore
October 2nd, 2011
3:29 pm
The problem with Chipper (besides his extended hitting slump) is that he ceased being chipper long ago. Whenever the camera pans his mug, it wears an expression more dour and sour than a lemon. He must be dreaming about his farm and kids while at the ballpark. I agree that he should retire himself to the farm – or BE retired to the farm! There is such a thing as negative leadership. He also acts lethargic at the plate, on the filed and in the dugout – shades of Garret Anderson. The Braves desperately need some ENTHUSIASTIC ballplayers and positive leaders.
Scalps Galore
October 2nd, 2011
3:42 pm
davidinvirginia:
Excellent comments about what they did to J-Hey! He is now a thoroughly confused puppy at the plate. The manager and coaching staff have succeeded in messing up a talented, if raw ballplayer and have NO inkling about how to build and motivate a team or apply appropriate strategy during a game. There are FAR too many instances of that than can be enumerated in the limited space of this forum. The best solution is to SCALP the lot!
superiorblogman
October 2nd, 2011
4:50 pm
Just trade Heyward for Andre Ethier and be through with it. That is a good trade for each team. Braves get someone with high batting average and consistent play that can help now and Dodgers get a little cap relief and someone that can blossom playing with a real superstar like Matt Kemp. Braves need a move and that is good for both teams. I am a true Brave fan but I really like Kemp and thinks he needs a running mate. This would be great for both teams. Braves want do it because they are trying to save ever penny they can and don’t care about putting best product out there though.
MR
October 2nd, 2011
5:25 pm
Already been through this once when Time Warner let our hall-of-fame staff waste away on the vine with all the first round playoff exits and weak showings in the post season. That’s why I never spend any of my money on this team. End the corporate baseball. End it yesterday. Liberty Media, with their half-hearted attempt at a front office with Frank “baseball?” Wren in charge, has finally killed baseball for the fans in Atlanta. Not too tough of a challenge since Time-Warner softened it up quiet a bit, so of course Frank can kill it off if it requires very little strategy. What’s next Frank? Are you going to hire some ex-pitcher to be the new hitting coach? You’re a loser, Frank, you talk like a loser, and you don’t win, all you do is make excuses, but most importantly, you don’t win. You haven’t won anything here or anywhere else yet, and I don’t expect you to ever win anything here or anywhere else. But feel free to go somewhere else, just go away.
JHarber
October 2nd, 2011
7:38 pm
Mark, would to say I like your post I gave up on braves in spring of 2010, because of Frank Wren he has not canged my mind yet,and I dont think he can. when you make a trade it should improve your team. his track record speaks for itself. if he isnt fired there are alot of people in middle tenn. that wouldnt be back, they now see what i saw last spring.
Ted
October 2nd, 2011
9:04 pm
Just getting caught up. Agree with David in Virginia re getting rid of Wren.
Ted
October 2nd, 2011
9:12 pm
Up above, Mozelle, you obviously are a Fredi apologist. Go back and read the stories as put out by Fredi. He was the one who announced all his coaches had been offered another year and accepted it. Don’t blame Bradley. And I will also strongly disagree with your comment that “shoddy journalism” does not belong at the AJC. Indeed I find it there often though not often in the sports sections.
fansince53
October 2nd, 2011
9:46 pm
Hire Chipper as batting coach and then his dad could actually do the coaching!!!
Larry
October 3rd, 2011
12:06 am
Based on what I’ve seen and heard this season, the solution to the Braves problems is quite simple.
Put Fredi in the broadcast booth and replace him with Mr. Simpson who immediately recognized and pointed out what was wrong with every batting stance, every swing, every pitch, and every fielding play.
Jeff
October 3rd, 2011
12:12 am
Mark Bradley for Manager!!!!!!!
Dromio94
October 3rd, 2011
6:03 am
Terry Francona for Braves’ manager? Best idea yet on this blog. We don’t even have Dairy Queen in France (third-world country), but we do have baseball fans, and yes, we are outraged. Go Brewers, go Rays, go fishing Braves.
quepdds
October 3rd, 2011
11:33 am
hire Joe Torre as manager, Leo Mazzone as pitching coach, Fred McGriff as hitting coach
Lance Parrish ?
October 4th, 2011
11:17 am
Let’s see… Lance parrish was actually the parrish brother that could hit. Did Fredi accidentally hire larry when he thought he was hiring Lance ?
For Fredi to say “we will keep the coaching staff intact” then for Wren to force him to fire Parrish looks really bad on Fredi. I think Fredi’s on a short leash next year. If the Braves start slow next year look for Fab Five Fredi to be replaced…