Darnell Coles is the Arizona Diamondbacks' new hitting coach, the team announced Wednesday.
The 56-year-old Coles had a 16-year pro baseball career and has been coaching since 2006. Most recently, he served as the hitting coach for the Milwaukee Brewers under former manager and former Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Craig Counsell. Coles resigned from that position last week.
As a player, Coles was a third baseman and outfielder. He played for eight MLB teams, along with two teams for Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.
Coles will replace former D-backs hitting coach Dave Magadan, with whom the team parted ways Oct. 1.
The #Dbacks name Darnell Coles as hitting coach.
Coles was a non-roster invitee to #DbacksSpring in 1998 and spent the previous 4 seasons as hitting coach with the Brewers. pic.twitter.com/aTHAFrotDo
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) October 31, 2018
“He is an exceptional communicator that values building relationships," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said in a statement. "As a teacher, his dynamic approach has proven to help players develop.”
The D-backs finished the 2018 season with a .235 team batting average, 12th in the National League and the worst single-season mark in team history. The D-backs finished the season with an 82-80 record, third place in the National League West division.
Under Coles, the Brewers hit .252 as a team this season, good for seventh in the National League. The Brewers won the National League Central division in 2018 and finished one game shy of advancing to the World Series.
