ATLANTA — The question I was asking Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer was about the challenge of adding multiple hitters from outside the organization in the middle of a season and getting to know them on the fly. I started with “It’s been a challenging year anyway, but ..
.” Before I could finish, Seitzer laughed hard leaned back against the dugout railing, and said, “If that isn’t the question of the century.” Advertisement Yes.
To say it’s been a challenging season for Braves hitters and their coaches is a major understatement. But Seitzer, MLB ’s longest-tenured hitting coach — it’s his 10th season with the Braves, four times longer than the average tenure of current hitting coaches — has been through the grinder of enough good, bad and in-between MLB seasons in 12 years as a player (two-time All-Star third baseman) and 16 years as a coach. He doesn’t let short-term success or failure consume him.
Seitzer was Baseball America’s MLB Coach of the Year in 2023, when a historically prolific Braves lineup led MLB in most offensive categories, tied the MLB single-season homer record (307) and became the first team to slug .500 (.501) in a full season.
#Braves ' Orlando Arcia on whether he stared at Bryce Harper in response to Harper staring at him after each of Harper's homers in Game 2 of the NLDS: “I was just enjoying my home run.” Harper on if he saw it: "No. I didn't.
I don't care. I couldn't care less. I already did it.
" — David O'Brien (@.