Tigers manager A.J. Hinch announced a series of changes to his coaching staff this morning (Twitter link via Jason Beck of MLB.com). Most notably, hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh and quality control coach Josh Paul will not return to the organization in 2023.
Meanwhile, assistant hitting coach Mike Hessman and third base coach Ramon Santiago will not be on the Major League coaching staff but have been offered new roles in player development. Gary Jones, who served as first base coach until being struck by liner that fractured his ankle in late May, will return to the big league staff in a to-be-determined role. Former big leaguer Alfredo Amezaga, who joined the Major League staff late in the season after serving as the Tigers’ Triple-A first base coach, will be the first base coach on next year’s big league staff.
The forthcoming addition of a new hitting coach and assistant hitting coach aren’t a surprise after a disastrous 2022 season in Detroit. Tigers batters ranked in the bottom six of all MLB teams in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, posting a combined .231/.286/.346 line in 2022. Detroit hitters ranked dead last in the Majors in home runs (110), runs scored (557), slugging percentage and wRC+ (81). Their 6.5% team walk rate was 29th in the Majors, ahead of only the White Sox, and their 24.1% team strikeout rate was the fourth-highest in Major League Baseball. Key young players like Riley Greene and especially Spencer Torkelson fell shy of expectations, while notable veterans like Javier Baez and Jonathan Schoop had some of the worst offensive output of their careers.
Reshaping the organization’s hitting hierarchy will be among the many initiatives on the docket for newly hired Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris, who replaced longtime general manager Al Avila. Harris, the former Giants general manager and Cubs assistant general manager, spoke at his introductory press conference about a need to emphasize development at all levels of the organization, including the Major Leagues. Installing new voices to work with the team’s hitters will be one of the first steps toward that end in what figures to be an active offseason throughout the Tigers organization.
About time. Comerica is top three hitter friendly parks in all of MLB.
Comerica park is a pitchers park
Depends on what stats you go by.
“Once hailed as a pitcher-friendly park, things changed more than a decade ago when the Tigers decided to cut down the original field dimensions, most notably reducing the distance from home plate to the fence in left-center field by 25 feet, from 395 feet to 370 feet.”
You are referencing an article on Bleacher Report from 2014. However I consider this article and ranking to have a MAJOR flaw in that it does not take into consideration the offensive prowess of teams. If you look at the stats the Tigers were a top offensive team during the time frame examined in this article. This was both at home and on the road.
Thus I agree with you as most baseball fans would, COPA is a pitchers park, not a hitters park.
In general a larger ballpark is considered a pitchers park. Yes 4 outfielders may not be enough. But that limits the amount of total bases.
Valid.
But, Slider, the power alleys and straightaway center are deeeeeep!
2022 STATS MLB Park Factors
Comerica ranked 26 out of the 30 parks for Home Runs at 0.787
12th in runs scored at 1.003 (But the Tigers were awful at scoring this year)
10th in Hits at 1.016
12th in Doubles at 1.026
2nd in Triples at 1.789
2007 STATs (when the Tigers could hit)
12th in runs scored at 1.051
9th in Home Runs at 1.140
16th in Hits at 1.004
14th in Doubles at 0.969
3rd in Triples at 1.595
Comerica is more hitter friendly than most Ball Parks in Baseball.
espn.com/mlb/stats/parkfactor
In the last 17 years, Comerica Park came in under the 15th place in Hits Factors between all 30 parks 10 times & over 7 times.
In 2008 they came in at #2 & in 2021 at #27
2022 #10
2021 #27
2020 #25
2019 #3
2018 #17
2017 #3
2016 #13
2015 #16
2014 #18
2013 #6
2012 #10
2011 #7
2010 #10
2009 #21
2008 #2
2007 #16
2006 #13
Triples…….HR
2022 #2…#26
2021 #3…#33
2020 #1…#25
2019 #2…#10
2018 #7…#24
2017 #4…#8
2016 #2…#8
2015 #6…#26
2014 #4…#15
2013 #3…#13
2012 #3…#17
2011 #2…#14
2010 #13…#18
2009 #14…#18
2008 #11…#6
2007 #3…#9
2006 #12…#25
Big variations between the years.
I added up all those numbers for each category then divided the sum by 17 to get the average. Here are the averages.
Hits=12.76
HR=17.35
3B=5.41
2B=15.82
I would say over all it is a hitter friendly park compared to the 30 parks.
It would be interesting to see where they ranked in overall offensive statistic in the league to see if there is a direct correlation. See if the variations match.
Excellent research & stats Dogs. I did some of my own statistical comparison in a different direction and what I found was pretty interesting. Since 2012 the Tigers have had higher offensive metrics at home than on the road in the vast majority of categories. Then I looked at pitching metrics and they also had better metrics at home than on the road in the vast majority of categories. The differences in offense were smaller than the differences in pitching which leads me to believe it is still a tick more pitcher friendly than hitter friendly but not much as I once thought. Regardless of whether we agree on it being a hitters or pitchers park I think we can agree it is not strong enough in either direction to change how the team should be built..
Going by the stats you used it looks neutral then, as they are mid teens for all or very up and very down. Only stat that is always in tops is triples, which I would argue is true of pitchers parks.
They do match. When I looked at these numbers per year Teams Stadums also changed positions.
There are many other factors that get overlooked when rating Parks. Weather, Spring & Fall cold temps for Comerica. Home Team construction & Opponents Construction, Pitching Staff & Batting Orders.
2013 Tigers Starting Pitchers
Verlander
Scherzer
Sanchez
Porcello
Fister
2014
Verlander
Scherzer
Porcello
Sanchez
Smyly
Price
The starting rotation in those years definitely had more studs. However going by memory the pen was toward the bottom of the league. Papa was horrid in 13 & Nathan not much better in 14. As you said, so much goes into the factors. Cold weather generally has bigger impact on offense than pitching especially regarding power.
The pen wasn’t bad, Leyland couldn’t manage pitchers since his days in Pittsburgh. Ausmus was worse.
Those were the years…..
Has Slider ever even been to or watched a game at Comerica Park (aka Grand Comerica Canyon)?????????
The place where four outfielders still might not get to a ball? Thanks for making my point
Has Slider ever even been to or watched a game at Comerica Park (aka Grand Comerica Canyon)??
Right! Not for homers of course but huge power alleys providing plenty of doubles and triples. Chris Illich really needs to bring the fences in. Players and fans have been asking for it for years.
No. Baseball Savant has them as the 7th-worst for hitters. Fantasy pros has them at 12th worst, Fangraphs 11th worst. There is absolutely nothing to suggest it’s a top 3 hitters park.
It’s typically pretty neutral
Declares it a top 3 hitters park, first response back by his own admission says depends what stats you go by Lmao. Guy can’t even convince himself by what he says. Muted.
Or could be gaining knowledge through discussion on contemplation. His first statement is based on an article with some convincing statistical information. I give home more credit than most people on here.
The overall “don’t give a bleep” team attitude toward every facet of the game, from the vets all the way down to the kids isn’t going to be cured by these changes, but something had to be done.
I believe he/she may be a believer in the article on Bleacher Report from 2014. Google hitter friendly parks. However I consider this article and ranking to have a MAJOR flaw in that it does not take into consideration the offensive prowess of teams. If you look at the stats the Tigers were a top offensive team during the time frame examined in this article. This was both at home and on the road.
Thus I agree with you as most baseball fans would, COPA is a pitchers park, not a hitters park.
They could hire Carlos Beltran to be their hitting coach. He has done wonders with Judge this year in NY. Funny how he has a career year when Beltran is working in their booth with all the cameras at his discretion. Beltran is a lifelong cheater, Judge is reaping those benefits this season.
Let’s be honest, Aaron Judge is a phenomenally gifted baseball player. Carlos Beltran is besides the point. Everyone is under the microscope, not sure about the cheating angle.
AJ Hinch was a stud coming out of Stanford. But he never hit at the Major League level. He was not successful in Arizona. He was successful in Houston, with a little help from his cheaters. He’s the Kyle Shanahan of the mlb.
Hinch seems to be running the team, when he s/b nothing more than a trade chip….( sure, he can come back like Chapman).
I don’t ever remember a manager acting like he runs things……
Ivy leaguer types find it easy to push around the jocs much?
I am certain Harris is astute at delegation. He and Hinch have been in close communication the past few weeks. And I’m certain the moves are mutual.
Mike Hessman was a home run machine but mostly in the minors.
Heck yeah!
“Mike Hessman’s Home Run Alley” at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, is a pretty cool honor.
Comerica has been a pretty neutral park since they brought in the fences. Slightly better for RH hitters. This year’s hitting instructors were the same ones that got good seasons out of Schoop, Candelario and Baddoo last year. This year, for whatever reasons, the same approach did not work. That they were only able to get Haase to rebound during the year from the poor start earned them their dismissals.
Tigers need to do more than just clear a few coaches. They need to clear a front office that has done nothing in 8 years.
Their front office is full of wannabe’s except for one person who is legit, the dude from Apple. The Menzin dude is a fraud… supposedly got his start due to his parents being friends with Dave Dombrowski and slithered his way to the top, back stabbing those whose stood in his way.
Firing Coolbaugh should have been done long ago. Not sure how he kept his job past the first half of the season. They need to do a much better job of hitting instruction at all levels in the organization. Glad to see that Harris is already making things happen.
Hitting coaches have almost 0 impact on veteran hitter’s overall avg. power, OBP, etc. The veteran players are multimillion dollars professional athletes they don’t listen to anyone concerning their batting. The biggest problem was Javier Baez swinging at everything and not being a team player. Hinch did nothing and the lack of discipline spread throughout the team
Good debates on the hitter friendly/pitcher friendly park. As with most things, the truth is somewhere in the middle or whatever I say it is.
Ha!
Hitting coach won’t help. Schoop and Baez are veterans.