The White Sox announced on Wednesday that hitting coach Todd Steverson will not return to the team next season, per James Fegan of The Athletic. Assistant hitting coach Greg Spark will also not have his contract extended. All of the other members of the coaching staff will return for 2020.
Assistant hitting coach Greg Sparks will also not have his contract extended. The rest of the coaching staff will return for 2020
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) October 2, 2019
Steverson was originally hired by the White Sox back on October 25, 2013, holding the position for the past six seasons. Likewise, Sparks was named as the assistant hitting coach following 2015.
This past season did feature strong offensive performances from players like Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson. However, the rest of the offense didn’t have such luck. The White Sox finished this year ranked 8th overall in AVG (.261), 23rd in OBP (.314), 25th in SLG (.414), and 24th in OPS (.728). In years prior, the club has consistently fallen below league average in offensive categories, thus contributing to the organization’s decision to go in a different direction.
While the team has not named replacements for either role yet, Frank Menechino is already being thrown around as a candidate. Menechino served as the hitting coach for the Triple-A Charlotte Knights in 2019. Before joining the White Sox organization, Menechino served in assistant hitting coach and hitting coach roles with the Miami Marlins for five years.
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Now the head coach please.
I just read Paul Sullivan’s piece in the Tribune, I knew Don Cooper was bad but 5 years of increasing ERA? The new pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds is responsible for their pitching success and they just hired the president of DriveLine, the premier pitching training facility in the country. This is ridiculous knowing Dylan Covey and Carson Fulmer will be front and center going forward, anyway Don could retire?
It took six years of poor, offensive, offensive statistics, SIX YEARS before the White Sox got rid of their hitting coaches. Loyalty has its price. I’ve watched many other teams in that time period take walks and not swing at balls purposely thrown in the dirt. Let’s move on and sign some coaches from other organizations that can help us improve our on base percentage as well as our walk ratios. It has been a long and torturous journey.