The Phillies wasted no time making their first move of the offseason.
Steve Henderson, the team’s hitting coach the last four seasons, was let go after Sunday’s season-ending 5-2 win over the New York Mets, according to sources (see Instant Replay).
The move was not a shock as manager Pete Mackanin had frequently mentioned the team’s offensive struggles over the final weeks of the season.
“When you're 13th, 14th and 15th in 10 of those categories, that tells you all you need to know,” Mackanin said last week. “We're down at the bottom in hitting.”
The Phillies finished the season last in the majors with 610 runs, 39 fewer than the next closest team. They finished 29th in the majors in batting average (.240), on-base percentage (.301) and slugging (.385).
General manager Matt Klentak, who has been on the job for nearly a year, would like to build the team with disciplined hitters “that grind out at-bats,” to use his words. The Phillies are expected to pursue a hitting coach that stresses this approach.