Dodgers Can Dave Hansen

About an hour ago or so, the Dodgers announced they have fired Dave Hansen as hitting coach. This According to a tweet from Bill Shakin.

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/BillShaikin/status/256880414453538816″]

Stacie and myself saw this move coming weeks ago. Hansen a former Dodger player himself, best known for being a good pinch-hitter, had replaced former hitting coach Jeff Pentland last year at mid-season. Nobody ever really thought Hansen would help much, but we all agreed he was probably better than Hansen. However I won’t shed a tear now that he is gone. Is this the first of many pink slips to come this off-season?

The Dodger hitting sucked, so Dave Hansen gets a pink slip.- Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Of course as we all witnessed this season, the Dodger offense was pathetic. The Dodgers ranked 29 in home runs, 26 in runs scored, and 16 in batting. The Dodgers ranked 18 in the MLB in hitting with runners in scoring position.

How much did Hansen effect the Dodger’s hitting? Probably not much, however it doesn’t matter. The stat kids would have you believe that the manager and coaches have zero effect on how the team hits, or pitches, or plays. That’s probably true, but then again, why have managers and coaches then? The fact is the manager and his coaches must be held responsible for the team’s play. There has to be some kind of accountability for the manager and coaches, otherwise why even hire a coaching staff? The managers and coaches are still at the least partially responsible for their team’s play. I’m actually being kind here.

The Dodgers have offered Hansen another position within the organization. Hansen used to be involved with scouting and development, so it is possible he could return to that role in some fashion. We’ll have more on this tomorrow.