Hitting coach Brant Brown reportedly headed to Miami

Nov 28, 2022 - 2:11 PM

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It looks like the Dodgers will have at least one change on their major league coaching staff for 2023. Brant Brown, one of Los Angeles’ hitting coaches, has reportedly been hired by the Marlins as their new hitting coach.

Craig Mish of SportsGrid reported the hire of Brown in Miami on Sunday. Earlier in the day, news of the Marlins’ interested in Brown was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and confirmed by Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. Brown joins a new Marlins coaching staff led by manager Skip Schumaker.

The Marlins have not yet announced the hiring of Brown.

Brown was with the Dodgers for five years, including the last three sharing hitting coach duties with Robert Van Scoyoc. Brown’s tenure with Los Angeles is also instructive in looking at the expansion of major league coaching staffs over the last decade, with no team having just one hitting coach. In Brown’s first two years with the Dodgers (2018-19), his titles were first assistant hitting coach, then hitting strategist. Prior to his time in LA, Brown was a Mariners coach, including in 2016-17 as offensive coordinator.

Brown’s departure could mean a promotion for Aaron Bates — as both Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic and Harris speculated — who has been the assistant hitting coach for the last four seasons. Bates has been in the Dodgers’ organization for eight years, the first four of which were coaching in the minor leagues. In his four-year tenure as assistant hitting coach at the major league level, Bates was also the director of hitting for the minors, splitting time between the majors and minor league affiliates.

The Dodgers haven’t yet announced their major league coaching staff for 2023. First base coach Clayton McCullough interviewed for the Royals managerial opening in November, but Kansas City hired Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro instead. McCullough also interviewed last winter for the Mets job — as did bench coach Bob Geren — that ultimately went to Buck Showalter, the 2022 Manager of the Year.