#hitting-coach

#hitting-coach

The Nationals' front office continues with aggressive coaching hires, and they made another bold move on Friday by bringing in Andrew Aydt as their new assistant hitting coach. Aydt becomes the second addition to the staff from Driveline Baseball this offseason and carries on a clear trend under president of baseball operations Paul Toboni and manager Blake Butera: youth, analytics and innovation.

The Astros are finalizing a deal to hire Victor Rodriguez as their new hitting coach, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He has been serving as the hitting coach in San Diego for the past two seasons. Rodriguez has a year remaining on his deal with San Diego. Houston parted ways with hitting coaches Alex Cintrón and Troy Snitker in early October.

Popkins, hired in November 2021, oversaw Twins hitters for three years, helping guide an offense that ranked 11th in wRC+ and 13th in runs scored over the stretch despite major injuries to key players. Then he was made a scapegoat for the team's collapse out of postseason contention and fired after the 2024 season. His unemployment lasted less than three weeks before the Blue Jays plucked him in October.

The New York Mets are hiring Troy Snitker as their hitting coach, a source confirmed to ESPN, as the club continues to overhaul its coaching staff after a frustrating 2025 season that ended without a postseason berth. Snitker, 36, previously served as the Houston Astros' hitting coach for seven seasons until he was dismissed earlier this month. He is the son of former Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker, who stepped down from his post after the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach Aaron Bates is reportedly returning to the team this weekend for the Dodgers' road series against the San Diego Padres, per the Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett. Bates was absent from the team for two weeks for health-related reasons. The details of those health reasons have not been reported. Minor league hitting coordinator Brent Pill and hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc stepped in to cover Bates during his absence.