Kevin Seitzer looks back on his time as Braves hitting coach

The season from hell hit a little harder for some than it did for others. Just last week, the Braves announced they would be relieving three coaches of their duties, with the biggest name being hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, along with assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes and catching coach Sal Fasano.

The decision came as a bit of a surprise, as Brian Snitker had said just a couple of days after their elimination from the postseason that he expected the entire coaching staff to return in 2025. That perturbed some fans after yet another first-round playoff exit, but it’s really hard to put the blame on any coach for what transpired this year. The injuries just never stopped coming, with more than a handful of All-Stars hitting the IL, some of which were lost for the season, including the Braves’ two best offensive players in Austin Riley and Ronald Acuña Jr.

Michael Harris, Ozzie Albies, and Sean Murphy also missed multiple months, but injuries, while a big part, were only part of the issue. Nearly every single Braves player not named Marcell Ozuna regressed offensively from 2023, and situationally, this was a team that could never seem to do the little things. Kevin Seitzer might not be to blame for that, but he understands the decision to shake things up.

“It was a tough year this year, though,” Seitzer said, via David O’Brien of The Athletic. “I don’t blame Alex. I don’t blame him for a second.”

“It was the hardest season of my life, because guys were trying so hard and couldn’t get going, and I couldn’t get them to (not press),” Seitzer said. “If they can find somebody to get these guys to not try so hard, that needs to be the guy they hire. You can talk about mechanics until the cows come home, but this (struggles this season) was all between the ears.”

Kevin Seitzer’s time with the Braves should be remembered fondly. When he joined the organization, the club was amid a rebuild with one of the worst offenses in the league. Eight years later, they set a slew of offensive records on their way to 104 wins, with Seitzer being named MLB Coach of the Year by Baseball America.

In the middle of all of that, the Braves won the World Series. Kevin Seitzer was not only instrumental to the Braves success for the better part of a decade, but he also changed the lives of many players for the better. Guys would come to Atlanta with issues and leave with a shiny new, lucrative multi-year contract. Seitzer was a primary reason for that, and he has no regrets as he decides what’s next for him and his family.

“We had a whole lot of success, won a World Series. I couldn’t be more thankful to Alex and the Braves for having me around this long.”

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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

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