Report: Chicago Cubs to Make Switch at Hitting Coach

Greg Brown will not return as the Chicago Cubs' hitting coach in 2023 and will be replaced by Dustin Kelly according to The Athletic.

Some surprising Chicago Cubs news broke on Friday when The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma reported that the team would not be bringing back hitting coach Greg Brown for the 2023 season. The team offered Brown a different role within the organization, though he is likely to pursue other opportunities around the league. 

The Cubs tabbed Dustin Kelly, the organization's minor-league hitting coordinator, as his replacement, according to The Athletic's Patrick Mooney. Kelly had served in the role for two years.

Before serving as the organization's hitting instructor, Kelly had served as a hitting instructor in the Dodgers' farm system. As Mooney also noted, Kelly will be the 15th different hitting coach the team has had since 2012. 

As for Brown, his one season oversaw one of the best seasons of catcher Willson Contreras' career, as well as a breakout campaign for Ian Happ, who was an All Star for the first time this season. The Cubs also walked in 8.3% of their at-bats, the 11th best rate in the league

However, Chicago still wound up lagging behind in several other statistics. The team was 18th in ISO (.148), 20th in wRC+ (97), and 20th in strikeout percentage (23.8%). Still, with a team in the midst of a retool, much of this was to be expected. 

Chicago may have simply feared Kelly being poached by another organization or just wanted someone to better bridge the gap between the minor and major league hitting philosophy. Whatever the case, the Cubs are hoping Kelly can end the revolving door at the hitting coach position.

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