Reds Fire Hitting Coaches Amid Offseason Overhaul Under Francona

After a disappointing season, the Cincinnati Reds are leaving no stone unturned in their quest for improvement. The latest shake-up sees the departure of the team’s hitting coach trio. MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports that Joel McKeithan, Terry Bradshaw and Tim LaMonte have been fired with newly appointed manager Terry Francona spearheading the overhaul. As the Reds seek to reclaim relevance in the National League Central, Francona’s stamp on the organization is taking shape.

Some Reds news:

All three hitting coaches — Joel McKeithan, Terry Bradshaw and Tim LaMont have been fired.

RHP Julian Aguiar had TJ surgery and will be out for 2025.

— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) October 8, 2024

In addition to the coaching shake-up, Reds right-hander Julian Aguiar suffered a significant setback. According to Sheldon, Aguiar underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2025 season.

Reds Revamp Hitting Staff Under Terry Francona

All three had been named to their roles in November of 2022, with McKeithan taking the role of lead-hitting coach. Bradshaw and LaMonte were each named assistant coaches under McKeithan. The latter joined the Reds organization in 2021 after spending time as the Detroit Tigers minor league hitting coordinator. Bradshaw served as the hitting coach for the Kansas City Royals from 2018-22 before coming to Cincinnati. LaMonte served as a private hitting instructor before spending time in the Houston Astros minor league system.

According to Charlie Clifford of NBC 5 Cincinnati, Terry Francona may already have a top candidate in mind for the vacant hitting coach position. Notably, Francona previously interviewed Kevin Youkilis for the same role in Cleveland ahead of the 2022 season, ultimately opting for Chris Valaika.

However, Clifford suggests that Youkilis, a Cincinnati native, could receive another consideration for the job. Youkilis’s local ties and familiarity with Francona’s coaching style may make him an attractive candidate.

Reds Hitting Coach Joel McKeithan will not return in 2025 per source.

Ahead of the 2022 season, Terry Francona interviewed Kevin Youkilis for the same position in Cleveland before going with Chris Valaika. The Cincinnati native could get another look.

— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) October 8, 2024

The Reds struggled with consistency on offence, finishing among the NL’s worst in several key categories. The numbers tell the story:

Batting Average: .231 (15th in NL)

On-Base Percentage (OBP): .305 (11th in NL)

Slugging Percentage (SLG): .388 (12th in NL)

The Reds have scuffled offensively, ranking 9th-worst in MLB with a .240 batting average and 2,601 hits (9th-fewest) over the last two seasons.

The post Reds Fire Hitting Coaches Amid Offseason Overhaul Under Francona appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.