Jeremy Reed not returning is the right decision for the Angels

Mar 1, 2021; Tempe, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels Jeremy Reed #77 poses during media day at Tempe
Mar 1, 2021; Tempe, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels Jeremy Reed #77 poses during media day at Tempe | USA TODAY NETWORK

Los Angeles Angels hitting coach Jeremy Reed will reportedly not be returning according to NY Post's Jon Heyman.

Reed was with the Angels for four seasons as their hitting coach after serving as the organization's minor league hitting coordinator for two years.

The Angels will search for a new hitting coach who can hopefully elevate the group that they have.

The Angels moving on from Jeremy Reed is the right decision for the organization.

The Angels under Reed did have some bright spots offensively this season that shouldn't go unnoticed.

Taylor Ward turned into an all-star caliber hitter and is someone I believe will be even better next season. Luis Rengifo broke out this season and looks like a player the Angels can potentially build around.

Reed of course was also the hitting coach under Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. The Angels have the makings of a good offense, but they didn't stay healthy.

Los Angeles ranked 26th in all of baseball in OBP, 23rd in OPS, and 25th in runs scored. Some of this has to do with depth, but when Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani both play over 115 games, there really isn't an excuse to be 25th in runs scored.

The backbreaker for Reed in my opinion was the performance of Brandon Marsh. Immediately after getting traded Marsh turned into the kind of player the Angels expected him to be.

As an Angel, Marsh slashed .226/.284/.353 with eight home runs and 37 RBI this season. Overall, he slashed .239/.299/.354 with 10 home runs and 56 RBI.

In 41 games as a Phillie, Marsh slashed .288/.319/.455 with three home runs and 15 RBI. Marsh has also hit a huge home run in the postseason for Philadelphia.

Marsh looks like a completely different hitter in Philadelphia than he did as an Angel. The most notable thing about Marsh is the cutting down of strikeouts. He struck out 36.9% of the time this season as an Angel and just 29.7% of the time after being acquired by the Phillies.

Marsh's approach at the plate was different and his results improved drastically. He had an OPS+ of 80 as an Angel and 116 as a Phillie.

Marsh was at one point a high-end prospect in the Angels system who just never hit as an Angel. The Angels gave up on him, and Marsh immediately turning into a good hitter isn't a good look for them or Reed. A change of scenery sometimes makes a difference but you can see clear new adjustments at the plate made by Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long and Marsh.

This raises the question of whether a different high-end prospect who hasn't performed at the big league level in Jo Adell might improve with a new hitting coach.

Reed had his good moments with guys like Ward and Rengifo and even Jared Walsh and Max Stassi last season but the bad moments overshadowed the good. With the pieces the Halos have they really should be better offensively than they have been. Hopefully with their new hitting coach that'll happen.

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