6:57 p.m.: Assistant batting coach John Mallee is also released, the team informed reporters (including Sam Blum of the Athletic). Mallee got the job during the 2019-20 off-season, not long after a stint as the lead batting coach in Philadelphia.
4:59 p.m.: The Angels bid farewell to batting coach Jeremy Reed, New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). The club has not yet released the news, but it looks like they will soon be looking for a new batting coach to work under manager Phil Nevin.
Reed, 41, has starred in the role for the past four seasons. His hiring came within a few weeks of Brad Ausmus’ appointment as manager, but the Halos have seen quite a bit of managerial turnover in the few seasons since. Ausmus lasted just a year before Joe Maddon was hired for the 2020 season. Maddon held the position for more than two seasons, but was fired in June, with Nevin appointed as his replacement on an interim basis. Nevin signed a one-year contract and had the temporary tag removed after the 2022 campaign ended.
The Halos have been a below average offensive team for the past four seasons. Since the start of 2019, they are ranked 22nd in points scored. They are 21st in on-base percentage and 18th in slugging. Last season was a special one, as the Halos amassed just a .297 OBP (one of five teams to reach the base with a clip below .300). They were in 15th place with a .390 slugging score, but no MLB team fell more often than the Angels’ 25.7% percentage. Of the 11 Anaheim hitters to the 200 best at bats, only four (Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Taylor Ward and Luis Rengifo) posted a wRC+ better than the 100 league average.
As with any coach, Reed certainly can’t take all the blame for the Halo’s underperformance. Los Angeles has run out of top-heavy rosters in recent seasons, and this year’s group was no exception. The Angels lost Anthony Rendon and David Fletcher for extended periods, forcing them to rely more than expected on the likes of Andrew Velazquez and Matt Duffy. The Halos also saw sharp regressions from Jared Walsh and Max Stassi, both of whom appeared to break out earlier in Reed’s tenure as batting coaches.
That said, the Halos have also seen some highly regarded young players struggle at the big league level. Leftfielder Jo Adell is the most prominent example, as the former top prospect has only managed to rack up a .215/.259/.356 line in his first 161 MLB games. Brandon Marsh had generally useful numbers, but significant strikeout concerns that likely contributed to the Halo’s willingness to trade him for catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe on this past trade deadline. Adell and O’Hoppe could both play key roles in next year’s squad as the Angels try to break an eight-year playoff drought.