There has been some debate, here and elsewhere, over the last few days about the quality of coaching the Reds are receiving, especially the hitters. I'm not a fan of Brook Jacoby. I haven't really been a fan since he's been with the team. This is partly because I really liked Chris Chambliss. I felt like the offense had a good approach while Chambliss was with the team. I haven't felt the same since. And it shows up in the numbers:
| Year | R/G | AVG | OBP | SLG | P/PA | 1stSw | 3-0% | 2-0% | 3-1% |
| 2010 | 4.08 (15) | .226 (15) | .293 (15) | .379 (12) | 3.78 (13) | 32% (16) | 4% (15) | 13% (15) | 8% (15) |
| 2009 | 4.15 (11) | .247 (15) | .318 (14) | .394 (12) | 3.82 (11) | 31% (13) | 5% (14) | 13% (16) | 8% (13) |
| 2008 | 4.35 (12) | .247 (16) | .321 (13) | .408 (10) | 3.75 (12) | 31% (14) | 5% (14) | 15% (5) | 8% (10) |
| 2007 | 4.83 (7) | .267 (8) | .335 (8) | .436 (5) | 3.73 (10) | 31% (12) | 5% (14) | 15% (4) | 9% (7) |
| 2006 | 4.62 (10) | .257 (15) | .336 (7) | .432 (6) | 3.85 (1) | 28% (7) | 6% (1) | 15% (7) | 10% (3) |
| 2005 | 5.03 (1) | .261 (7) | .339 (2) | .446 (1) | 3.85 (1) | 27% (6) | 6% (3) | 15% (4) | 10%(1) |
| 2004 | 4.63 (10) | .250 (13) | .331 (9) | .418 (9) | 3.84 (2) | 29% (9) | 5% (10) | 15% (4) | 9% (5) |
The years in bold are when Chambliss was the hitting coach. Jacoby has been the hitting coach since.
Is the difference all Jacoby? No, and I doubt anybody would argue that. There seems to have been an organizational shift over the last 3 years toward a more aggressive approach at the plate. It's hard to say if this is something that started with Wayne Krivsky, who fired Chambliss after the 2006 season, or if it was brought in by Jacoby or even Dusty Baker. We all can see it though. These guys hack away at the plate a lot more than the Reds of 4+ years ago.
Whoever's philosophy it is that they are implementing, some of the blame has to fall on Jacoby. It is his job to help the offense improve and if he disagrees with the aggressive philosophy (I don't get the impression that he does), he should be fighting it. Ironically, one of the things Jacoby was brought in to improve - batting average - has been abysmal ever since his first year with the team.
Will firing Jacoby turn the Reds into a high-powered offense immediately. No, things like this don't change that quickly. But we've been through three years of putrid offensive output. How long do we have to wait to reevaluate the philosophy that's being used? Isn't it obvious that the current strategy isn't working?