Byrd: Seitzer's playing days show he can succeed as Braves hitting coach
What you need to know about Kevin Seitzer, whom the Braves hired Monday as their new hitting coach, is that he could absolutely mash a white leather baseball. More importantly, he knew why and how he did it.
What he got out of an average-looking physical frame was one of the better hitters in the game for about a 10-year stretch. Not a Hall of Fame career, but a feared and respected hitter, mostly for his ability to drive the ball to all fields, hit for a high average and walk more than he struck out.
After retiring in 1997 the former Royal started the Mac-N-Seitz Baseball and Softball facility in Kansas City, and I'm told many visiting big-league players would sneak away in the mornings before their afternoon game at Kauffman Stadium for a private lesson with Seitz.
When I asked Mike Sweeney, former Royals designated hitter, what can we expect with Seitz, said emphatically, "The thing that sets Kevin Seitzer apart from other hitting coaches is his passion, energy and positive mindset. He teaches hitters to prepare to drive the fastball to the opposite field gap and react to everything else. Batting averages go up and strikeouts go down immediately. So many players want to work with him."
If Sweeney is correct and the Braves' players believe in Seitz and if, somehow, these attributes can be transferred fairly quickly, then fans will be doing cartwheels in the stands. I suspect even the players will start hugging again and dog piling like they did the year before after many late inning heroics and timely hits at the buzzer.
If Mike Sweeney is wrong, that doesn't necessarily mean that Kevin Seitzer is a bad hitting coach or all of a sudden he forgot how to translate his mashing skills to others. It may mean that he is simply not the right fit for the Braves or his style of communication doesn't jell with these particular players.
Let us all hope that the Braves haven't gotten so comfortable that they have forgotten to listen. If any of the just mentioned happens, it will only mean more pressure for Seitz and everyone else on the Braves coaching staff.
My wife Kym and I moved 54 times during parts of a 19-year career that included five years in the minors. In layman's terms, that means I wasn't good enough to stick with any one team like Cal Ripken Jr. but I wasn't bad enough to retire early like Harry Hartman, who gave up five hits and two walks in his debut only to shower up, leave the park and enlist in the Navy the next day.
A few years of poor production from the Braves hitters, and more fans feeling the current despair will result in Seitz having to sit his wife Beth down to say, like I used to tell Kym: "Honey, I'm sorry but if you start packing, I'll go get the U-Haul. It's time to move again."
