The Brewers have hired Cubs assistant hitting coach Andy Haines to replace hitting coach Darnell Coles, per a report from Fancred’s Jon Heyman on Saturday. Coles resigned last week to pursue a new opportunity with the Diamondbacks.
Haines, 41, is coming off of two years in Chicago, during which he initially served as the club’s minor league hitting instructor. Prior to his stint in the majors, he managed a variety of independent teams in the Northern and Frontier Leagues, as well as several minor league affiliates for the Marlins. In 2011, he led the Single-A Greensboro Grasshoppers to their first South Atlantic League championship title in nearly 30 years. It was also in Greensboro that he had a hand in the development of outfield prospect and future All-Star slugger Christian Yelich, who was eventually traded to the Brewers in advance of the 2018 season.
Haines will undoubtedly try to return the team to their hot-hitting ways in 2019, as they ranked seventh in the league with a collective .252/.323/.424 batting line during the 2018 regular season. With the new hire, the Brewers still have two vacancies to fill this offseason as they look for pitching and bullpen coaches to replace Derek Johnson and Lee Tunnell, respectively. Per MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, the team has yet to announce whether assistant hitting coach Jason Lane will retain his position under Haines next year.
