There is no dancing around the fact that the Atlanta Braves offense was a deeply frustrating and inconsistent unit for most of the 2026 season. Everything started great, but the Braves' offense ranked 28th from June 1 through the end of the season, with only the Reds and Angels being slightly worse. That is not company that you want to keep, and it is clear something has to change.
Some of the Braves' offensive issues stem from things outside of their control, including Ronald Acuña Jr.'s struggles with injury issues, as well as Austin Riley's catastrophic decline. However, there were wide-reaching problems with the offense's approach and situational hitting, and some of that comes down to hitting coach Tim Hyers and his ability to get players to buy into his coaching.
At first glance, the fact that the Braves' offense has underperformed every year that Hyers has been the team's hitting coach should mean that his status on the coaching staff should be in jeopardy. However, based on Alex Anthopoulos' comments after Atlanta's season came to an end, it sounds like Hyers isn't going anywhere.
Braves are signaling that no coaching changes are on the horizon, including hitting coach Tim Hyers
Now, there are two important things to keep in mind in this discussion. First, Anthopoulos did not say anything was set in stone, and the man never tips his hand more than he has to. Anthopoulos did say that he was "pleased with all of them" when talking about the coaching staff, but he also said that he hasn't had conversations with Walt Weiss about the 2027 coaching staff yet. Second, the actual impact of assistant coaches these days is overstated. So many of the decisions and coaching have been determined ahead of time via data and outside analysis, so assistant coaches don't play the same roles they did when guys like Leo Mazzone were around.
That said, hitting coaches DO matter, and there is little to no evidence that Hyers' approach is actually helping the Braves. Drake Baldwin was a success story until his recent swoon, and Michael Harris II looks like a guy that could take that next step to stardom. Beyond those two guys, what Braves hitters have actually improved under his watch? Most have actually gotten worse, which isn't exactly a ringing endorsement of Hyer's tenure.
Perhaps the front office thinks that there isn't another option at hitting coach that would be any better than Hyers at addressing Atlanta's offensive issues. In many respects, the players and front office analysts are more to blame than Hyers. However, Atlanta has to have a voice at the top who can get players to buy in and make the correct adjustments when needed, and there is zero evidence that Hyers can be that coach for more than a couple of the Braves' hitters.
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