There is always more to the story when someone resigns. Dante Bichette resigned as the Rockies hitting coach prior to last night’s game between the Red Sox and Rockies. He claimed he wanted to spend time with his family, and he also talked about the job of a hitting coach being a grind in the end.
It’s always interesting when coaches talk about missing their family as a reason to why they resigned. Maybe Bichette is telling the truth, but it’s hard to trust anyone that talks in the press conference.
If the Rockies were hitting well this season, it’s hard to believe Bichette would resign. It came down to him being frustrated he could not get through to his hitters, and it worn him down in the end. It got to the point that he was coming late to work.
Bichette thought it was not worth his time, so he quit on his own volition. The Rockies wanted him back, and they felt he would have done better next season after he gained experience this year.
The Rockies struggled to hit in June, and it carried over the rest of the season. They batted .271 heading to last night’s game, and they were ranked third to last in baseball in runs scored. They struggled to hit with men in scoring position this season. They never had any plate discipline as they were swinging at every pitch. Fair or not, this is a reflection of a hitting coach. That’s who everyone blames when a team is not hitting.
The struggles wore on Bichette. There was no question he did all he could to get his hitters out of their funk, but it never happened. Bichette is a proud man, and it bothered him that he was not getting results.
Bichette mentioned it’s time-consuming when it came to working as a hitting coach. He isn’t kidding. There’s so much work that comes with being a hitting coach. He has to teach and serve as a mentor. He has to have all the right answers.
The results never came, and he felt it was time to step aside and see what another hitting coach can do. There’s no question he has been contemplating about resigning for awhile.
One has to wonder if Bichette knew what he got himself into when he accepted the position of being a hitting coach. He thought it would be easy to be a coach after so many of his contemporaries became coaches in Major League Baseball. He has had success working with his son’s high school team, so he figured it could pay off with the hitters in the Major Leagues.
It’s surprising he failed as a hitting coach. The thought was he could relate to young players, and that he knew enough hitting that the players would benefit from his teaching. He put in the time during spring training, and it seemed like guys enjoyed working with him. He was always optimistic.
With struggles, frustration set in. Bichette didn’t know how to handle it. He could not deal with failure after having so much success as a hitter. It was tough for him, and the losing caused him to be disinterested.
If nothing else, players make the hitting coach look good by performing well. It has nothing to do with what a hitting coach is doing. A hitting coach can’t go to the plate and hit for the hitter. He would be too old to produce.
The Rockies hired Don Baylor and Carney Lansford as hitting coaches, and they were let go in recent years. Bichette did not work, either. It speaks more on the players than the hitting coach that they didn’t get it done. The fact the Rockies are going to have another hitting coach is a reflection of the players. Good luck to the next hitting coach in getting better results.
It’s hard to believe Bichette will be a hitting coach again. He did not give that vibe he wants to do it again. That’s too bad. He could be good if he kept working on it. He probably wondered what’s the point if the players are not listening to him.
Give him credit for realizing it was a lost cause. Some guys stay with the idea they are the solution when they are not. A good example is Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd, who has worn out his welcome long time ago.
Bichette should also be commended for forfeiting his salary rather than staying on.
Call Bichette a quitter, but if he knows he is not the answer, there’s no point having him on the staff.
Bichette can move on with no regrets with the idea he tried his best.
Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
