The Indians are parting ways with hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo, reports Zack Meisel of the Athletic (Twitter link). Meisel notes he’d been the longest-tenured active hitting coach in MLB. Assistant hitting coaches Victor Rodriguez and Justin Toole are expected to remain on staff, Meisel adds, but the club will pursue a new hitting coach from outside the organization.
The 57-year-old Van Burkleo appeared in the majors from 1993-94. Since retiring as a player, he’d worked in a series of coaching and player development roles, including stints as a hitting coach with the A’s and Astros and a season as the Mariners’ bench coach. Van Burkleo joined Cleveland entering the 2013 campaign, Terry Francona’s first year as Indians manager.
Francona has missed the end of each of the past two seasons because of health issues. He’s expected to return to the dugout in 2022, although he’ll do so without Van Burkleo alongside him for the first time in his Cleveland tenure. Francona and company have had plenty of success in recent years, including a 2016 American League pennant that saw Cleveland come within a game of their first World Series title since 1948.
The Indians had a disappointing 2021 campaign, though, tailing off after a solid start to the year. Cleveland had a below-average offensive unit, slashing just .238/.304/.408 (excluding pitchers). That mark ranked 22nd out of the league’s 30 clubs by measure of wRC+. Of course, some struggles at the plate were to be expected for a team that saw the departures of Francisco Lindor and Carlos Santana last offseason.
What? He has been a good hitting coach. The Phillies should give him a call.
This guy is the Cleveland fanbase’s scapegoat. People have been calling for his canning since 2018
YAAAAAAY!!!
The three biggest positive adjustments I’ve ever seen for hitters here, all of them had nothing to do with him.
Kipnis famously regained his hitting form thinking at a hotel room with a rolled up newspaper
Jose Ramirez had a really terrible half year because the coaches told him to take it to all fields. He became good again when he just decided to go back to pulling it, on his own.
Even Brantley only improved by working with his dad.
Aren’t they called the Guardians?
Not in my book.
Your book needs a fact-check
They officially adopt the name starting next season but I’m sure they will do a big social media upheaval and rebranding this off-season as a marketing for the new merch
It’s a start. Now dump Willis and Francona.
hmm. I’m curious why you want to get rid of Willis. He has coached 5 Cy Young winners, 3 of which were in Cleveland.
yeah i wouldn’t get rid of willis either. look at even quantrill’s huge progress this year, and even mckenzie’s progress. and how eli morgan ended up being serviceable by the end of the year despite not pitching period last year bc the short season and no minors.
francona, i love, but he’s loyal to a fault. he should have let go of TVB a long time ago. also, sandy should have stayed his bench coach, but he pushed him aside to get his buddy brad mills in. and now his old boston buddy Hale.
I don’t think Mills as bench coach was a bad decision. As manager, you need a bench coach you can trust has your back. Hale hasn’t had a lot of time at Cleveland in his actual position so it’s not fair to judge him yet.
I also would have liked to see Alomar as bench coach after Mills left. But he’s only the first base coach. If he was making decisions at third base he might have got the job
Someone intentionally named a human Ty Van Burkleo?
Well, he had the Van Burkleo already. You got a name that fits? I don’t.
Arnold?
Parents should have named him Leo Burke Van Burkleo. Confuse everyone
Way overdue! Addition by subtraction
His name sounds like a star wars character
Trying to make chicken salad out of chickenshyt, the gave the guy few mlb hitters this season and filled in the lineup card with the rest that belonged in Columbus.
So what about every other year when Cleveland was contending?
Ty might be a good pick for the Mets or Pirates.
This season had the two lowest batting averages to win batting titles in the same season. Offense is terrible around the league and the Yankees put that on full display last night. I don’t necessarily agree with blaming the hitting coach when its all this supposed helpful data that has Major League hitters looking worse than little leaguers at the plate. However, when fingers need to be pointed its not pointed at the computer geek, its pointed at the coaches
It’s the Guardians now 2021 season is over
the 2021 season is not over. The Indians may not be playing any more games this season, but the season is not over. You guys won. You got the name changed. Just relax for 4 more weeks.
INDIANS should have not let the hitting coach go he did a good job overall and is being the scapegoat.Francona should step aside if you can’t coach for 2yrs step aside and let someone else.If it was a couple months ok.This team needs to start over and start by getting
a new Mgr
Below average players will get you below average results.