The Braves shocked a lot of fans when they fired Kevin Seitzer, who had been in Atlanta in some capacity for a decade.
While the talent was always elite, he helped develop some of the best bats in the sport and also resurrected some careers. Seitzer earned awards for his work with the Braves in 2023, a lineup that set MLB records en route to an MVP, All-Star bids, and multiple Silver Slugger awards.
It all came to a screeching halt in 2024 when nearly every Braves hitter either regressed or got injured before they could bounce back. There was plenty of blame to go around, but firing Seitzer felt like a knee-jerk reaction, especially considering all of the injuries.
Hell, the Braves even stated that the expectation was that Brian Snitker’s staff would return in 2025. Fortunately for Seitzer, he landed on his feet, earning a gig with the Mariners, a club that has been plagued by poor hitting.
In his first media appearance since the news, Seitzer was asked about his approach to hitting, but the interview took a turn when the former Braves hitting coach compared Julio Rodriguez to Ronald Acuna Jr.
New @Mariners hitting coach Kevin Seitzer shares what he's seen in @JRODshow44 🔥
Seitzer says he feels Julio is as special as @ronaldacunajr24, and is excited to work with him. pic.twitter.com/EbdoM263v1
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) November 26, 2024
For Seattle fans, that’s got to be music to your ears. Acuna is arguably the most talented player in baseball when healthy, which is evident when it all came together in 2023 with his MVP campaign.
J Rod is coming off the worst season of his young career. The two-time All-Star and 2022 American League Rookie of the Year finished with a .273 batting average, 20 home runs and 68 RBIs. He also stole 24 bases. For some, that’s a career year, but to Seitzer’s point, he’s capable of so much more.
The Braves will be just fine with their new hitting coach Tim Hyers, but the hope is that the Mariners can improve upon a horrible offense to support their elite pitching staff.
FanGraphs predicts Rodriguez will return to form in 2025. The site projects him to post a 5.8 fWAR in 2025 while finishing with a near 30-30 season, a 134 wRC+, and an .809 OPS. Kevin Seitzer will now help him try to get there.
