The Cincinnati Reds announced today that hitting coach Turner Ward will not return in 2020. They thanked Ward, but said “it became clear that we lacked the alignment we were seeking with our offensive approach.”
The Reds finished 12th in runs scored in the National League in 2019, 12th in on-base percentage, 12th in batting average and 10th in slugging. This in one of the more hitter-friendly parks in all of baseball. Whether that’s on Ward or on the talent and skill of the Reds hitters themselves is the age-old question presented when any hitting coach is dismissed. The age-old answer: it’s way easier to fire a hitting coach than to fire 12 or 13 hitters.
Before his one-season stint in Cincinnati, Ward was the Dodgers’ hitting coach from 2016-18.