Albert Pujols is quietly coming on for the Angels after putting together one of the worst starts to the season in MLB. The All-Star slugger has at least a hit in 13 of his last 14 games, and his numbers have noticeably improved since the team fired Mickey Hatcher as hitting coach on May 15. The stats show a significant difference.
With Hatcher as coach (37 games/146 at-bats):
- .212 avg, 1 HR, 14 RBIs, .288 slugging, .536 OPS, 6 BB/18 K
Without Hatcher as coach (10 games/39 at-bats):
- .282 avg, 5 HRs, 11 RBIs, .692 slugging, .821 OPS, 5 BB/5 K
The media and fans often make batting coaches out to be poor, scapegoated souls when they get fired because a team slumps, but the truth is sometimes all players need is change in order to turn things around. This move certainly hasn’t hurt Pujols.
Photo Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE
