Rick Hahn was less direct than usual when asked about the future of the coaching staff during his last press conference of the regular season.
Today explains why.
The White Sox announced the dismissal of hitting coaches Todd Steverson and Greg Sparks. Steverson's sounds like a firing ("agreed to part ways"), while Sparks just didn't have his contract renewed, but the result is the same: The Sox will have their first new hitting coach(es) for the first time since 2014.
All other members of the coaching staff are expected to return.
The Steverson hiring was one of the few times the White Sox conducted an extensive external search, as the Sox hired him away from the Oakland Athletics in hopes that he could establish a top-down approach to developing hitters throughout the system, and maybe bringing over some of Oakland's ability to draw walks.
Under Steverson's tenure, the White Sox had individual success stories, and it's a little odd to see him hit the bricks right after Tim Anderson won the batting title and Yoan Moncada finished third. The problem is that the breakout seasons -- and you can include Avisaíl García's All-Star season in 2017 -- required maxed-out BABIPs, and few hitters in the lineup ever developed the offensive skills that stick to compensate. Steverson came into the organization preaching "selective aggression," but the latter word overshadowed the former.
If you needed to sum up the case against Steverson in a table, here's where the White Sox ranked in the American League in plate discipline and power during his tenure.
| Year | BB% | K% | ISO |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 12th | 14th | 5th |
| 2015 | 14th | 9th | Last |
| 2016 | 12th | 9th | 12th |
| 2017 | 13th | 12th | 12th |
| 2018 | 13th | Last | 9th |
| 2019 | Last | 14th | 14th |
In Steverson's defense, the White Sox bats were similarly flaccid during Jeff Manto's time as hitting coach, as well as late in the Greg Walker era. The Sox probably aren't good at identifying hitters who can reliably identify balls and strikes, giving hitting coaches little to work with.
That said, it's worth plugging in a new coach at this point given the lack of organizational success just to see what happens. Scot Gregor identified Triple-A hitting coach Frank Menechino as the favorite, and while I've liked what I've heard from and about him, here's hoping the Sox expand their search, even if Menechino is ultimately the guy they tab. Looking outside the organization wasn't the problem here.
