Former Dodgers Hitting Coach Joins Huge NL Rival in Same Role

Maren Angus-Coombs | 2 Hours Ago

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The Atlanta Braves hired former Los Angeles Dodgers assistant hitting coach Tim Hyers as their new hitting coach, the club announced on Thursday.

Hyers comes to the Braves after serving in the same role with the Texas Rangers for the past three seasons, contributing to their World Series win in 2023.

The Atlanta #Braves today announced the organization has hired Tim Hyers to the major league coaching staff as hitting coach. pic.twitter.com/j4RnnNuu3k

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 24, 2024

Hyers takes over from Kevin Seitzer, who was one of three coaches let go by Atlanta following a challenging season that ended with a two-game sweep by the San Diego Padres in the NL Wild Card Series.

Seitzer had been the Braves' hitting coach for a decade, serving in the role since 2015. He was the longest-tenured hitting coach in MLB and held the position even before Brian Snitker became the interim manager.

Tim Hyers, an Atlanta native, served as an assistant hitting coach with the Dodgers from 2016-17. He then worked as a hitting coach for the Red Sox from 2018 to 2021. He won a World Series with Boston in 2018, then again with Texas in 2023.

— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) October 24, 2024

Hyers has nine years of experience on a major league coaching staff. He served as the assistant hitting coach for the Dodgers from 2016 to 2017, was the hitting coach for the Red Sox from 2018 to 2021, and joined the Rangers in 2022.

Throughout his career, Hyers has coached 12 Silver Slugger award winners. In 2023, the Texas Rangers earned the inaugural Team Silver Slugger award in the American League. During his three seasons with Texas, the Rangers recorded the third-highest runs (2,271) and home runs (607) in the AL, finishing with a combined batting line of .247/.315/.410. Meanwhile, in his four seasons with the Red Sox, they led all of Major League Baseball with 2,898 runs, 8,632 total bases, 1,989 extra-base hits, a batting average of .266, a slugging percentage of .455, and an OPS of .790.

The Braves bring in Tim Hyers. Look, Hitting Coach hires & the execution of the job is a funny thing. But on the front end, this is simply a home run hire. Hyers bio: simplicity, approach, plan, prepare, BBs, contact. Mechanics come 2nd. Love the hire.

— Chris Mooneyham (@MooneyhamOnAir) October 24, 2024

An Atlanta native, Hyers was drafted by the Blue Jays in the second round of the 1990 First-Year Player Draft after graduating from Newton High School. He spent parts of four seasons in the majors, playing in 133 games with the Padres, Tigers, and Marlins. Hyers batted and threw left-handed during his playing career.