Source: Hugh Quattlebaum Reverts Back To Role As Mets' Director Of Hitting
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He's sticking around.
Although Hugh Quattlebaum was replaced by Eric Chavez as the Mets' hitting coach this winter, he has reverted back to his initial role as the organization's director of hitting development as expected, per source.
While serving in this position, Quattlebaum will spend some time working with Chavez and the big-league staff, and will also focus on the developmental side with the Mets' minor league system as well.
Quattlebaum and Kevin Howard replaced Chili Davis and Tom Slater as the major league hitting coaches following a May 4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals last season. Ex-acting general manager Zack Scott, who was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 1 and later let go during the offseason for an Aug. 31 arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence, made the move to fire Davis and Slater after the offense got off to a slow start last year.
Unfortunately, Quattlebaum and Howard were unable to fix the Mets' offense, which ranked No. 20 in baseball and had an anemic .390 slugging percentage and 176 home runs (both sixth-worst totals in MLB).
The Mets also saw a number of proven hitters struggle at the plate in 2021, including Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil, James McCann and Dom Smith, who all endured underwhelming campaigns.
Like Quattlebaum, Howard has gone back to his previous role as director of player development as well. This duo will re-assume their original positions for the 2022 season, despite their lack of success at the big-league level last year.
