The New York Mets are scoring the second fewest runs per game (3.30), beating only the paltry offense of the Detroit Tigers (2.72). Their batting average is actually in the league's top 12 (.240) and the on-base percentage is in the top five (.324), but overall, the offensive production and, most importantly, run-scoring abilities have been nowhere near the level that the team needs.
As a result hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant Tom Slater were fired in a fairly sudden move.
Apparently, it was a decision that didn't sit too well with some of the Mets players. According to Audacy Sports MLB insider Jon Heyman, a team meeting with acting GM Zack Scott brought out a frustrated response that was "expected" in the aftermath of the firings.
Heyman also noted that there may have been a philosophical rift between the old-school style of Davis and the more modern approach of Scott. This would make sense, seeing as Davis acknowledged that the way in which he coached and the aspects of hitting that he focused on may not have fit in with some of the modern changes in baseball.
"I did it the way I know how and each year the game changes, you get a lot more analytical people involved," Davis said (via Mike Puma of The New York Post). "You try to use the information they give you to help the players, to inform the players, but I don’t think anybody tried to change me. I’ve had success with good players and not-so-good players in the approach I have taken with them. It’s more of a personal approach."
Heyman opined that getting fired just 23 games into the season "seems like a too-quick trigger," though seeing stars like Francisco Lindor (.163 batting average), Jeff McNeil (.235) and Dominic Smith (.222) struggle to such a significant extent is a situation that the team might have wanted to address soon rather than let it play out.
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