Darnell Coles (born June 2, 1962) is an American professional baseball player and current hitting coach for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball primarily as a third baseman and outfielder from 1983 to 1997. He has coached in MLB since 2014.
| Darnell Coles | |
|---|---|
| Washington Nationals – No. 7 | |
| Third baseman / Outfielder | |
| Born: June 2, 1962 San Bernardino, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: September 4, 1983, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| NPB: April 5, 1996, for the Chunichi Dragons | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: May 22, 1997, for the Colorado Rockies | |
| NPB: September 10, 1997, for the Hanshin Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .245 |
| Home runs | 75 |
| Runs batted in | 368 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .284 |
| Home runs | 36 |
| Runs batted in | 107 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
As Player
As Coach
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life
editColes was a four-sport letterman and three time baseball MVP at Eisenhower High School.[1]
Playing career
editOn June 3, 1980, Coles was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round (sixth pick) of the 1980 Major League Baseball Draft. He turned down both a baseball scholarship and a football scholarship to UCLA to sign with the Mariners.
In 1986, he hit a career-high 20 home runs for the Detroit Tigers. He had two three-home run games in his career: in 1987 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and in 1994 with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Coaching career
editIn 2006, Coles was hired as the roving hitting instructor for the Washington Nationals organization. He was the manager of the Vermont Lake Monsters in 2007, and manager of the Class A Hagerstown Suns in 2008.
On November 19, 2008, he was named the hitting coach for the Nationals Triple-A affiliate, the Syracuse Chiefs.[2]
On October 10, 2013, Coles was selected to manage the Milwaukee Brewers Triple-A affiliate, the Nashville Sounds, after previously managing the organization's Double-A Huntsville Stars from 2012 to 2013.[3] However, on November 25, the Detroit Tigers announced the hiring of Coles as assistant hitting coach.[4]
On October 23, 2014, the Milwaukee Brewers announced Coles replaced Johnny Narron as the hitting coach.[5] He resigned after the 2018 season[6] and became the hitting coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks.[7] On June 10, 2021, Coles was relieved of his position with the club.[8] He was hired by the Washington Nationals to be their hitting coach following the 2021 season.[9]
References
edit- ^ 1987 Topps baseball card # 411
- ^ "Coles Named Triple-A Hitting Coach". vermontlakemonsters.com. November 19, 2008. Retrieved December 25, 2008.[dead link]
- ^ Watson, Phil (October 10, 2013). "Milwaukee Brewers Tab Darnell Coles to Manage at Triple-A Nashville in 2014". Sports Media 101 Inc. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
- ^ "Tigers name Coles assistant hitting coach". MLB.com. November 25, 2013.
- ^ "Brewers bring back Coles to be hitting coach". MLB.com. October 23, 2014. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- ^ "Brewers hitting coach Coles resigns". MLB.com.
- ^ "Diamondbacks Name Darnell Coles Hitting Coach". October 31, 2018.
- ^ Franco, Anthony (June 10, 2021). "Diamondbacks Part Ways With Hitting Coaches Darnell Coles And Eric Hinske". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ "Coles returns to Nats as hitting coach". MLB.com.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Vermont Lake Monsters Manager 2007 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Hagerstown Suns Manager 2008 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Syracuse Chiefs Hitting Coach 2009 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Huntsville Stars Manager 2012 - 2013 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Detroit Tigers Assistant Hitting Coach 2014 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Milwaukee Brewers Hitting Coach 2015 – 2018 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Arizona Diamondbacks hitting coach 2019–2021 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Washington Nationals hitting coach 2022-present |
Succeeded by Incumbent
|
