Detroit — From a business perspective, changing the hitting coaches was a no-brainer.
The Tigers, who scored the fewest runs, hit the fewest home runs and extra-base hits in baseball, were shut out a modern-day record 22 times and had the highest strikeout percentage and second-lowest walk rate in the American League, parted ways with hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh and reassigned assistant hitting coach Mike Hessman back into the player-development department.
From a human perspective, though, it’s a little more nuanced, a little tougher.
“It’s important to know the season wasn’t these coaches’ fault,” said manager AJ Hinch, who conducted his season-ending press conference Friday morning. “We are all responsible. We are all a part of this. Sometimes it is philosophical, sometimes changing voices is important in sports and sometimes it’s time to mix up the message for the players.
“But it shouldn’t be positioned that our hitting woes were all Scott Coolbaugh and Mike Hessman.”
Hinch also announced the contract of quality-control and catcher coach Josh Paul would not be renewed, and third-base and infield coach Ramon Santiago had been reassigned to the minor leagues and to a role in player development.
“Again, it’s not as if Ramon or Josh did something wrong,” Hinch said. “It was just obviously time for us to assess the staff. We’re going to have a different staff and we’re going to have a different message and a different collection of guys to hopefully push the players in a new direction.”
The pitching staff remains intact with Chris Fetter and Juan Nieves. Gary Jones, who served as first-base coach and outfield coordinator, will return, though his role is still to be determined. He is a candidate to coach third base.
Alfredo Amezaga, who joined the Tigers from Toledo in September, will return and serve as a first-base coach and infield coach.
Hitting coach Adam Melhuse, also called up from Toledo in September, is likely to remain on staff, possibly as an assistant hitting coach, though that is still to be determined.
“The goal is to enhance the coaching staff,” Hinch said. “Some of this is with different voices but also some of it is with different roles. We will look to build a hitting department, whatever that means exactly, and cover all disciplines. We have an opportunity to build something interesting and good for the players.”
Hinch resisted the temptation to fire Coolbaugh and Hessman during the season, though he was under some pressure internally and externally to do so.
“It goes back to what I talked about then and the 24-hour news cycle,” he said. “Do you feel better (just making the move?) Until you find what your solution is, what your message is, there’s no guarantee that it fixes the flaws that you’ve identified. It’s still a reaction of the player in the batter’s box.
“But we can be better. And that’s why we’re making these moves.”
The same hitting coaches who were fired Friday where the same hitting coaches who were credited with the resurgence of Robbie Grossman, Jonathan Schoop and Jeimer Candelario in 2021. Firing them in midseason would have been more a scapegoat move than a fix-the-problem move, especially at a time when a new president of baseball operations was coming aboard.
“I think they are both really talented hitting coaches,” Hinch said. “This is a difficult decision at the end of this season based on the momentum we felt coming out of the previous system. I don’t think they got worse as hitting coaches. I just think the overall struggles of the hitting department was such a topic for such a long time, it definitely wore on the players.
“We were trying to grind through it together rather than make a mid-season change. But I think we can be better in different areas within the hitting department than we displayed during this season.”
Hinch said the interview process for new hitting coaches began Thursday.
“Once you guys put this news out there, I will become more and more popular,” he joked.
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Paul and Santiago were the two holdovers from Ron Gardenhire’s staff.
“Santi was as lovable as any coach I’ve ever been around, but his development as a coach has been all over the map,” Hinch said. “He was a very likeable player and a very accountable player and teammate of mine (with the Tigers). He’s a longtime Tiger and that’s why we want him to stay in the organization.
“He’s a gifted communicator, albeit understated. As he develops his coaching style, we’d like him to develop an infield program that is stronger. And, in his own personality, be even more aggressive than some of his sends from third base this season.”
Santiago will be spending time in Lakeland working with the Tigers’ ever-growing crop of young and talented infielders — like Cristian Santana, Manuel Sequera, Jace Jung, Peyton Graham and Colt Keith.
Hinch also has asked about possible changes to the medical and training staffs given the rash of injuries this season.
“That’s next in line for Scott (Harris, president) and I, and Sam Menzin and Jay Sartori (assistant general managers) to tackle,” he said. “I don’t think the injuries can be associated with the strengths and weaknesses of our of our medical department or strength department. It was a really rough year, and those guys work tirelessly. They were dealing with something every single day of the season.
“But we’re going to look at our processes and see where we can get better. We’re going to look at what we do well, what we do below average and try to address all of that. We’re planning on meeting about that next week.”
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky