The Atlanta Braves are making changes to their coaching staff after finishing second in the National League East and missing the playoffs in the NL wild card round.
Hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes and catching coach Sal Fasano have been fired. reports David O’Brien of the Athletic. While the Braves have not made an official announcement, the coaches have been informed of his firing, according to O’Brien.
He #Brave fired hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes and catching coach Sal Fasano, a source confirmed to The Athletic. The team has not announced the moves but the coaches have been informed. Each had a contract with the Braves until 2025.
– David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) October 10, 2024
Atlanta finished ninth in the National League with a .243 batting average and its .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 the MLB with a .276 team average, .501 slugging percentage, .845 OPS, 947 runs scored, and 307 home runs (which tied an MLB record).
However, reigning National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. tore the anterior cruciate ligament 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 broken left wrist. Additionally, Sean Murphy (oblique, elbow) and Austin Riley (right hand fracture) missed significant time with injuries that affected the lineup’s production this year.
The Braves will hire new hitting coaches, but they will not replace Fasano’s position that was created just for him. Manager Brian Snitker and the rest of his coaching staff are expected to return next season.
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 had been with the Braves since 2017, while Magallanes was on the major league staff for three seasons after training with the Triple-A Atlanta club for two years.
Hall of Famer Chipper Jones would be a popular choice as a hitting coach among Braves fans. Despite his role as a hitting consultant in previous seasons, he was not on Snitker’s staff this year and will not fill any of the hitting coach positions.
