Marlins fire hitting coach John Mallee; Eduardo Perez replacement

by craig on Jun 9, 2011 9:01 AM EDT in News and Rumors

After last night's game, Marlins hitting coach, John Mallee was fired.

Hitting coach John Mallee was fired Wednesday moments after the Marlins' seventh consecutive loss, a move that angered many of the young players who worked with Mallee as they came up through the Marlins' system.

To replace Mallee, the Marlins went the way of nepotism and gave the job to Eduardo Perez.

Eduardo Perez, son of Marlins special assistant and Hall of Famer Tony Perez, will replace Mallee. Although Perez has no major- or minor-league coaching experience, he was working as a special assistant for the Indians and has coached in Puerto Rico, where he was named manager of the year in 2008.

This is really a stupid move. Eduardo is no hitting instructor, and his time in the Winter Leagues doesn't change that fact. This is not the time to make a move, to shake things up, it is time to circle to wagons and try and calmly workout the problems. But apparently, that ship has sailed.

Mallee knows more about the swings of the young Marlins players than probably anyone else on the planet, and the boys aren't happy.

"I don't think it's right. I don't think it's just," outfielder Logan Morrison said. "He's had me prepared more than anybody.

"It's definitely not his fault. We let him down. Everybody has their finger on the panic button. It's hard to relax and play baseball."

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Chris Coghlan called Mallee "the best coach I have ever had."

When the Marlins make a knee-jerk move, such as this. It normally has Loria's finger prints all over it. While nothing I have read puts this decision on Loria, I will bet he is behind it.

It is not Mallee's fault that Bonifacio is 1 for his last 19. Yeah, he got off to a hot start but he is simply regressing to his mean as a crappy hitter. Nor is it his fault that Stanton is 2 for his last 16 with 8 strikeouts. While Stanton is very young and the dynamic could change however at the present time he is a .250 hitter who strikes out a lot but has a lot of power. And no hitting coach can change these facts.

If the Marlins start hitting again with runners in scoring position, it will have nothing to do with the change in hitting coaches. The young Marlins are just too talented to keep going the way they are going.

Bottom line: firing Mallee was one asinine move.

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Awful.

Did he have political problems within the organization?

Seems to me that hitting coaches get too much credit when the team is raking and too much blame when things go south. LoMo and Coghlan’s comments indicate that he had the team behind him and his philosophy, which is just about all you can ask for from a hitting coach.

militia mea multiplex

by all4tookie on Jun 9, 2011 10:30 AM EDT reply actions

Thursday Picks

13,750
LoMo
Gaby, LoMo, Stanton combine for at least 6 hits; Marlins hits ≥ 8; Volstad: 4+ K

by xquiles21x on Jun 9, 2011 10:39 AM EDT reply actions

Hanley making good progress:

According to Tom D’Angelo of the Palm Beach Post, Marlins skipper Edwin Rodriguez told reporters on Wednesday that Ramirez could begin playing in rehab games at Single-A Jupiter this weekend and may even be ready to return to the big leagues on Tuesday, the first day he’s eligible.

Link

militia mea multiplex

by all4tookie on Jun 9, 2011 10:48 AM EDT reply actions

Mallee

what an absolute joke to let Mallee go!
one of the best young hitting minds in the game. period.
to hire a “name”??
yep, hire a mumbling moron Eduardo Perez, thats the solution!?!?
nice call Marlin brass…pathetic

by meatcookie on Jun 9, 2011 10:56 AM EDT reply actions

I said they had to do something after the game

but this isn’t exactly what I had in mind. If they were going to let Mallee go, it shouldn’t have been for one of Edwin’s buddies from Puerto Rico or a Front Office friend.

That being said, I won’t disagree with his firing so emphatically. Maybe the young bats that have been around him forever need a change of pace? It’s like when a golfer fires his swing instructor. He’s not going to blowup your swing if you’ve been playing awhile, but tweak it so that you’re better (or at least that’s the idea).

If these guys have been around Mallee much of their pro careers, and for guys like LoMo, Cogz, Stanton, Cousins, and Hayes they have, maybe it’s time to take the next step. Their development is nowhere near over and a new coach may be the guy to get them to the next developmental level. Do I think Perez is the guy to do that? No, but they weren’t going to fire Edwin this early (they’re saving that for the off season).

I don’t think these guys will regress under Perez, but I will hope that he can teach them something new in the interim. Perhaps a little more plate discipline, or leveling out the swings of guys like Cogz and Boner who cut down on the ball.

I’m also not convinced Mallee was “fired.” Some articles have said he was relieving of his hitting coach duties or reassigned. Maybe the kept him on as a Minor League Hitting Coordinator, which was his job for the past 11 years…

All I know is I felt a change needed to happen. Was this the right one? Only time will tell.. I don’t think fans should be up in arms about Mallee going though because there’s never been a club express (publicly) an interest in taking him from us in 11 years and to me that says something. The players, I understand them being upset, but for most of them this is the 1st time someone they’ve bonded with has gotten let go (I don’t think Fredi counts for guys that only played 2 or 3 months under him vs coach for years and years)….

And that is my ramble of the day…

12121
Gaby
Marlins amass 10+ H, 2+ HR, 2+ Doubles

by jrsyeagle on Jun 9, 2011 12:05 PM EDT reply actions

I agree changes needed to be made but...

I also agree with you Craig. This move is a bit pre-mature.

"Im in psychoville and Finkle's the mayor"

"Your gun is digging into my hip"

My doc told me to act like a robot for the next week. Great prognosis! Me and Johnny-5 will be one...

by GoNuckingFuts on Jun 9, 2011 12:32 PM EDT reply actions

slump buster picks

13,800
LoMo
Volstad – QS, W

by dgriot on Jun 9, 2011 2:43 PM EDT reply actions

I think it's safe to say LoMo is not long for the Marlins

He talks too much, and this front office doesn’t like that. I just hope he doesn’t end up in the NL East.

by cpmustangs13 on Jun 9, 2011 3:49 PM EDT reply actions

He's got a new approach this time though

Seems he’s venting in the clubhouse and it’s getting picked up by reporters. He’s not tweeting it at all which shows some maturity. I don’t think they’ll part with him because of this though. More one of those have Jeff and Perez the elder speak with him about it. Really, this is part of the game and he’s got to get used to it. It sucks (for him) that it was a friend and favorite, but it’s going to happen more than once in your career, kid.

But ya… he seems pissed. All the players seem pissed if you read between the lines of the most recent beat writers rumblings. Good to see they’re blaming Loria and nobody else though…

by jrsyeagle on Jun 9, 2011 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Good article up on Stanton...

Link.

He has 35 HR in his first calendar year in the big leagues – 9th most of all time in a player’s first 157 games.

militia mea multiplex

by all4tookie on Jun 9, 2011 4:02 PM EDT reply actions

something needed to change

lots of struggling from the whole team & the offense is a big part of it. Lomo’s hitting well, but cogz has been battling for a while. gaby’s overproducing it appears, but hanley’s in a career worst slump. boni’s regressing, so is infante, so is buck, & stanton hasnt really improved from last year. these moves are a part of the game.
though, eduardo perez??? if anyone’s ever heard him on BBT then they’re questioning this hire. bland, uninspiring & generic. maybe he’s different on the field & probably is, but from the info we have…..

by byoung on Jun 9, 2011 7:47 PM EDT reply actions