Despite the overriding mantra of ‘get the pitching’ dominating the offseason work of the 2018-2019 Cincinnati Reds, the addition of hitting coach Turner Ward to new manager David Bell’s staff was seen as something of a coup. After all, Ward had been the hitting coach for a pair of Los Angeles Dodgers clubs who had absolutely pounded baseballs, and came with quite the solid reputation.
After just one season, however, the Reds aren’t bringing Ward back. The club announced the news on Twitter earlier on Tuesday.
Reds hitters ranked 25th in all MLB in wRC+ in 2019, while also ranking in the bottom third in both OBP and wOBA.