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Is it time for Larry Parrish to go as Braves' hitting coach? The Braves have taken a step back offensively from previous seasons.

Terry Pendleton didn't seem to be, by any means, a bad hitting coach, contrary to what some fans thought over the last few seasons. These are the same folks or the same type folks who wanted Roger McDowell gone his first season as pitching coach for the Braves. This is why I'm glad most fans don't work in front offices.



The Braves were among the top NL teams in runs scored during Pendleton's tenure. The thing is, the Braves didn't really struggle while Pendleton was the hitting coach. Look it up. Anyone who tries to convince us otherwise is either ignorant or they are lying.



I doubt public outcry had anything to do with Pendleton not being retained as the hitting coach. Him not being retained probably had more to do with Fredi Gonzalez wanting to bring in his own guy, which is fine.



As of right now, the Braves' offense is clearly under-performing expectations, especially from on on-base perspective, which of course is the key aspect of any offense. I've read that Parrish teaches an aggressive approach, which may not be working.

None of us can say for sure if and by how much Parrish's coaching is causing the Braves' hitters to under-perform from an on-base perspective. It seems like it may not be a coincidence, given so many hitters are under-performing, so Parrish probably shares some degree of the blame.



It's sad for Larry Parrish, and I take no pleasure in holding this view, but perhaps changing hitting coaches is worth a shot. If Parrish isn't the problem, perhaps the players will realize that their inability to get on base has cost a man his job and they need to get better.



The harsh reality is that professional sports at the highest levels is about results and winning. This should be the Braves' front offices' primary goal. Whether Pendleton was a good hitting coach and Parrish was a bad one is secondary to some degree. It's about whether the team is getting on base and scoring runs.

Braves' teams did this under Pendleton. So far they haven't under Parrish.