The Atlanta Braves are making changes to their coaching staff following their second-place finish in the National League East and playoff loss in the NL wild-card round.
Hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes and catching coach Sal Fasano have been fired, reports The Athletic's David O'Brien. While the Braves have not made an official announcement, the coaches have been informed of their dismissal, according to O'Brien.
The #Braves fired hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes and catching coach Sal Fasano, a source confirmed to The Athletic. The team hasn't announced the moves but the coaches have been informed. Each was under contract with the Braves through 2025.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) October 10, 2024
Atlanta finished ninth in the NL with a .243 team batting average and their .724 OPS ranked seventh. The Braves scored 704 runs during the regular season, finishing seventh in the league and giving the team a +97 run differential.
In 2023, Atlanta led MLB with a .276 team average, .501 slugging percentage, .845 OPS, 947 runs scored and 307 home runs (which tied a MLB record).
However, reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. tore the ACL in his left knee in late May and missed the final four months of the season. Ozzie Albies was also out for two months with a fractured left wrist. Additionally, Sean Murphy (oblique, elbow) and Austin Riley (fractured right hand) missed significant time with injuries to affect the lineup's production this year.
Ronald Acuña Jr. was removed from the game with a non-contact injury while rounding the bases.
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 26, 2024
(via @BravesOnBally) pic.twitter.com/Zk1TbcgdEk
The Braves will hire new hitting coaches, but will not replace Fasano's position which was created just for him. Manager Brian Snitker and the remainder of his coaching staff are expected to return next season.
The Braves will hire two hitting coaches. They will not fill the catching coach spot that was created for Fasano. https://t.co/tVu8lIu5uN
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) October 10, 2024
All three coaches were under contract through the 2025 season. Seitzer had been on Atlanta's coaching staff for the past 10 years after stints in the same position with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays. Fasano was with the Braves since 2017, while Magallanes was on the major league staff for three seasons after coaching with Atlanta's Triple-A club for two years.
Hall of Famer Chipper Jones would be a popular choice for hitting coach among Braves fans. Despite his role as a hitting consultant in previous seasons, he wasn't on Snitker's staff this year and won't fill either of the hitting coach positions.
