A week ago, when the Red Sox revealed first base coach Tom Goodwin wouldn't be asked back, they added that they expected the rest of the 2021 coaching staff to return next season.
Turns out, that wasn't quite accurate.
Hitting coach Tim Hyers, who held the position since the 2018 season, informed the team he's leaving the organization to pursue other opportunities, according to industry sources. The move appeared to blindside the Red Sox. The Boston Globe was first to report the news.
There was no dissatisfaction with Hyers' performance, nor should there have been -- in the four years he worked on the staff, the Red Sox led Major League Baseball in runs scored, slugging percentage and OPS while ranking third in on-base percentage.
Additionally, there was no evidence of a philosophical rift between Hyers and the Baseball Operations staff, or with manager Alex Cora. Every indication was that Hyers was on board with the organization's use of analytics and was able to incorporate it into his work with players. Players routinely praised the work done by Hyers.
There are a number of vacancies for hitting coaches among MLB teams, including, notably, the New York Yankees, who terminated hitting coach Marcus Thames last month. The San Francisco Giants are another team with a hitting coach opening. There's also been speculation Hyers might want to work in college baseball, either as a head coach or in his current capacity as hitting coach.
Hyers had previously worked with the Red Sox from 2009-2012 as an area scout. He later worked for the Los Angeles Dodgers for two seasons as their assistant hitting coach before being hired by Dave Dombrowski prior to the 2018 season.
With Hyers out of the picture, the Red Sox are poised to elevate assistant hitting coach Pete Fatse, who joined the Red Sox from the Minnesota Twins after the 2019 season.
It's possible Fatse, a native of western Mass. who played college ball at the University of Connecticut, could share the position as co-hitting coach with a new staff hire, but either way, he'll be elevated on the staff.
Among the candidates the Sox could consider for their new position is Rich Gedman, who has served as the organization's Triple-A hitting coach -- first for Pawtucket, and last year, Worcester, his hometown -- for the last seven seasons.