Marlins Fire John Mallee, Hire Eduardo Perez As New Hitting Coach

[Erick]

How 'bout LoMo hitting 1st? Maybe he gets him back to focusing on being more patient instead of popping up every 3-0/3-1 pitch he sees. I don't know what that's about; he's probably done that more in the past week than he has in the rest of his time with the Marlins.

[Party]

It can't hurt. But I think we're in agreement that Cousins/Petersen is not the issue right now.

Hanley aside, I think the main issue right now are what CC and Infante have done. Everyone came into this season with very realistic expectations that at worst both were going to be league average #1 and #2 type guys. CC was still a mystery because he missed most of last year, but he still had 2009 and that streak after the abysmal start on his side. Infante was never going to replicate what he did in Atlanta last year, but a .345 OBP wasn't a dream.

Three months into the season and we are throwing out an everyday line-up without a true lead-off hitter, Omar Infante and Emilio Bonifacio. Throw in the pitcher and those are almost 4 guaranteed outs. As Brigham said after the game, CC is at best a 7 hole hitter. Cody Ross minus the power but higher batting average. He'll hit .350 for three weeks and hit .210 during the next two. Infante should be batting eight and Boner should be coming off the bench as a defensive replacement.

[AdamRavs]

Hanley aside, I think the main issue right now are what CC and Infante have done. Everyone came into this season with very realistic expectations that at worst both were going to be league average #1 and #2 type guys. CC was still a mystery because he missed most of last year, but he still had 2009 and that streak after the abysmal start on his side. Infante was never going to replicate what he did in Atlanta last year, but a .345 OBP wasn't a dream.

Three months into the season and we are throwing out an everyday line-up without a true lead-off hitter, Omar Infante and Emilio Bonifacio. Throw in the pitcher and those are almost 4 guaranteed outs. As Brigham said after the game, CC is at best a 7 hole hitter. Cody Ross minus the power but higher batting average. He'll hit .350 for three weeks and hit .210 during the next two. Infante should be batting eight and Boner should be coming off the bench as a defensive replacement.

This! Hanley has to go to lead off then when he comes back. He is the closest to a true leadoff hitter we have.

[Erick]

I expected Infante to not be that good, to be honest.

He just had a career year last year, and it was .BABIP inflated. Not surprising that he's a mediocre hitter now that the hits aren't falling like they probably used to.

At least he's been great defensively, but I thought it was dumb that he was the return for Uggla, to begin with. At the end of the day, he's just a stopgap. Or maybe we can sign a 2B in the offseason and sign him as well to be a super-utility guy. Him and Bonifacio for versatility. LH pinch-hitter (maybe not Dobbs depending on how good his year is), RH pinch-hitter (as in, not Helms) would upgrade the bench, significantly.

He's also another reason as to why it's stupid to go out looking for clutch players with intangibles. Mr. Clutch is hitting .224 with .RISP this year.

[MiamiHomer]

MIAMI GARDENS — 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.

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.

"We're just looking for a way to get this team going offensively," Marlins President Larry Beinfest said after the Braves' 3-2 10-inning victory. "I don't want to certainly put it all on John But we need to find a way to score some runs. We need to execute better."

Mallee, 42, was very popular with the Marlins' young players. This was his 10th season in the organization, more than eight as the minor-league hitting instructor.

"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."

Morrison appeared upset that he learned of the move "through the grapevine." General Manager Mike Hill went around the clubhouse, informing the players but not all were at their lockers.

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

"Jeffrey (Loria) is our boss and the front office is in charge of us," Coghlan said of the Marlins owner. "I respect their authority. . (but) I have never been around anyone better.

"He would say he is at peace because he did everything he could do."

The Marlins' losing streak is their longest since dropping eight straight in August 2007. They have lost four consecutive series and six of the seven losses have been by one run.

The Marlins are hitting .175 (11-for-63) with runners in scoring position during the losing streak, including 1-for-8 Wednesday.

"This is a very tough stretch for us right now, something we are going to have to fight through," Beinfest said. "It's a tough situation.

Beinfest was asked what was wrong with the team.

"The big thing is just the execution with runners in scoring position, hitting behind runners, getting the bunt down, any number of things," he said. "And I think it's kind of snowballed a little bit.

"Hopefully, this change will help."

Perez, 41, played for six major-league teams and one in Japan, last playing in the majors in 2006 for Seattle. He was a career .247 hitter. He also currently is an analyst for ESPN's Baseball Tonight.

"Eduardo is intelligent," Beinfest said. "I think he is one of those guys that he's going to be good at anything he does, whether he's a baseball player or a broadcaster."

Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez, also from Puerto Rico, has a longtime relationship with Perez.

"Even as a player, he was one of those players who liked to teach," Rodriguez said.

The Marlins appeared to break through Wednesday with Mike Stanton's two-out, two-run, game-tying single in the ninth inning, but gave back the lead on Freddie Freeman's run-scoring single off Mike Dunn in the 10th.

Dunn (4-4) walked Chipper Jones and allowed a Brian McCann single before Freeman's hit.

Morrison walked and John Buck doubled to the right-centerfield gap with two outs in the ninth inning off Braves closer Craig Kimbrel before Stanton - who entered as a pinch-hitter in the seventh, striking out with the bases loaded - fell behind 0-2.

Stanton then took a borderline low pitch before shooting the ball past first baseman Freeman, scoring both runs and tying the game. The runs were the first scored by the Marlins in 23 innings.

Kimbrel, whose 18 saves are one behind Florida's Leo Nunez for the major league lead, then struck out .067-hitting Ozzie Martinez, which raised the question as to why Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez did not have Kimbrel intentionally walk Stanton with first base open to pitch to the weak-hitting Martinez.

The Marlins had another chance to end the losing streak in the 10th inning when Chris Coghlan doubled and Omar Infante walked with one out.

But Greg Dobbs struck out swinging against George Sherrill and Gaby Sanchez struck out looking on a ball that appeared outside by Braves left-hander Scott Linebrink.

Marlins fire hitting coach after suffering seventh straight loss

[Ramp]

I'm glad some of the players are upset. It's their faults and they are next on the chopping block if this shit continues.

Looks like the message has been received.

[Erick]

I'm glad some of the players are upset. It's their faults and they are next on the chopping block if this shit continues.

Looks like the message has been received.

WTF!

Like they didn't know they were hitting like shit before the move.

"Next on the chopping block if this shit continues?" As if players like Chris Coghlan and Logan Morrison are going anywhere anytime soon? C'mon.

[AdamRavs]

This is either gonna have a good result or its gonna make matters even worse.
--------------------
they are young players so this could just fuck em up even more so who knows.

[Ramp]

WTF!

Like they didn't know they were hitting like shit before the move.

"Next on the chopping block if this shit continues?" As if players like Chris Coghlan and Logan Morrison are going anywhere anytime soon? C'mon.

I can absolutely see Coghlan being sent down. Not that he should be at this point though.

And yea, they obviously knew about the offensive woes. Batting coach had to go though. You blame the coaches first, players second. Classic all sports.

[Party]

This! Hanley has to go to lead off then when he comes back. He is the closest to a true leadoff hitter we have.

That's just moving around the dead-weight in the line-up. It doesn't matter who is batting first or fifth or eighth when you have CC, Infante, Boner, Buck and a pitcher in the same line-up. And that's not including Hanley who is a big question mark going forward. At this point, any line-up is going to give you the same results. The aforementioned need to start producing if things are going to turnaround.

[TealMonster08]

Im extremely happy to see that management thinks we have too much talent to play like this. Fucking shaking shit up.

[Party]

Im extremely happy to see that management thinks we have too much talent to play like this. Fucking shaking shit up.

I agree with this to an extent. At some point they have to be realistic and admit that in order for this team to win 90 games it was going to take a lot of things clicking in unison. Using the 'strike fear into the heart of your employees' management style isn't going to will a .500 team over the top.

[TealMonster08]

I agree with this to an extent. At some point they have to be realistic and admit that in order for this team to win 90 games it was going to take a lot of things clicking in unison. Using the 'strike fear into the heart of your employees' management style isn't going to will a .500 team over the top.

I probably should have included that I dont necessarily think firing Mallee, or any coach, is the right move. But I do like that they made some sort of effort.

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

Our new hitting coach is about to break down our hitters on ESPN after the commercial break.

[Erick]

Eduardo Perez just had some real expert analysis on our guys.

Mike Stanton needs to swing at strikes and Hanley Ramirez needs to get healthy.

The offense is clearly struggling because John Mallee doesn't know these things.
--------------------
"Be yourself. Have fun and swing at strikes."

This is great.