The Marlins must have been inspired by the quick hook that the Rangers gave to rookie hitting coach Thad Bosley on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the Marlins’ official Twitter feed, hitting coach John Mallee has been “relieved” of his duties and ESPN baseball analyst Eduardo Perez will take over the gig Thursday.
Mallee was promoted to the role of major league hitting coach in June of last season after spending nine years as a minor league hitting instructor in the Marlins’ farm system. He was drafted as a player by the Phillies in 1991 and hit .208 in 115 career minor league games before hanging up his cleats in ’92.
The Marlins ranked 19th in runs scored, 21st in total hits, 17th in home runs and 15th in team OPS heading into Wednesday’s action and lost to the Braves in extra innings tonight. Rarely would any of that be the hitting coach’s fault, but the front office decided to name a scapegoat and Mallee got the boot just an hour or two after Florida’s defeat. The appeal of adding a “big name” like Perez also probably played a part.
Perez has no major league or minor league coaching experience, but he serves as skipper for Leones De Ponce of the Puerto Rico Baseball League in the winter and won Manager of the Year there in 2008.
