The Atlanta Braves offense, at least on paper, appears to be one of the more potent offenses in the league. The lineup has multiple guys that could threaten to win the National League MVP with a good season and features a pretty terrifying blend of power and speed throughout the lineup.
However, that doesn't mean that they won't require some coaching and adjustments throughout the course of a season. Sometimes guys get into bad habits over the course of a season, others are just barely missing a bit too much, and some guys just get into bona fide slumps. Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer has largely done a great job of keeping guys on the right track, but it looks like a familiar name is returning to help out here and there.
Not official yet, but #Braves are expecting to have Chipper Jones back as an hitting consultant this season, same role he had in 2021. The Hall of Famer wasn't on the staff last year due to the vaccination mandate for all coaches.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) February 13, 2023
Chipper Jones does not need any introduction to Braves fans as he is among the best players to ever put on a Braves uniform. The switch-hitting Hall of Fame third baseman won numerous accolades over the course of his career and while it does seem likely that he will only be around here and there because he does seem to enjoy retirement, having his expertise helping Braves hitters should be a net positive for the hitters.
As DOB noted in his report, Chipper had previously helped the Braves out as a hitting consultant including during the team's run to the World Series title in 2021. However, he was not on the Braves' staff last season because of the mandate that all coaches need to be vaccinated in order to be on staff. It appears as though those requirements will not be a barrier to Chipper this season and barring the unforeseen, he should be back helping Braves hitters this year.
The addition of Chipper to help coach hitters should at least help with the loss of assistant hitting coach Jose Castro who took a hitting coach position with the Chicago White Sox this past offseason.