Phillies bring back Charlie Manuel as hitting coach

In what might be part of a larger shake-up, the Philadelphia Phillies turn to a beloved manager to coach their hitters for a while.

Apparently hearing at least some of the criticism leveled at them, the fourth-place Philadelphia Phillies seem to have begun a little bit of a shake-up. At 11:31 a.m., Aug. 13, NBC Sports Philly’s Jim Salisbury reported via Twitter that hitting coach John Mallee is out. Three minutes earlier the Phillies had made public a press release indicating that he will be replaced by beloved former manager Charlie Manuel, who is now 75 years old.

Both Salisbury and CBS News reported before noon the team is considering other staff changes.

The Phillies indicated plainly the appointment of Manuel, who had been serving the team in a senior advisory capacity, would run through the end of the season. Presumably, a brainstorming session at Citizen Bank Park has begun about a hitting coach for 2020.

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Manuel, who led two Cleveland teams to 90-plus-win seasons in the ’90s, led the Phils for parts of nine seasons between 2005 and ’13, capturing five NL East titles, two NL Championships, and the 2008 World Series flag.

Every report of any Manuel activity by the Philadelphia media includes the fact that he is the winningest manager (780-636) in the Phillies somewhat regrettable history. He is also credited with helping develop the hitting prowess of Hall of Famer Jim Thome, who played for both the Indians and Phillies.

Mallee, who came to the Phillies from the data-driven Astros and then the Cubs, emphasized optimal launch-angle thinking, line drives with the proper trajectory. One Phillies player who seemingly cannot master this notion consistently is Maikel Franco, who was recently demoted to Triple-A.

In his nearly two years as the Phillies hitting guru, Mallee’s teams ranked 11th in runs scored and 10th in OPS in 2018, and 9th and 12th this season. Numerous observers have commented recently about the team’s woeful performances with runners in scoring position.

So, the Philadelphia Phillies will bring back a coach who preaches plate discipline and working counts, complimentary notions not totally at odds with modern hitting theory. Manuel also learned hitting in a number of sessions with Ted Williams, who taught him about the importance of a batter’s top hand on the bat and pitch selection.

Williams once told a much younger Manuel, “You can hit the ball just as far as I could, only I hit them more often.”