Pirates already have the perfect new hitting coach in their minor-league system

The Andy Haines experiment has not been pleasant. In 2024, the Pirates, as an offense, rank in the bottom eight of Major League Baseball in batting average, runs scored, home runs, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. As a team trying to return to the playoffs, that must be better moving forward.

To move closer to their goal, the Pirates should look to find a replacement, but they don't have to look very far. A quick replacement for Haines is the hitting coach for the Indianapolis Indians, Eric Munson. He has done a very great job in Triple-A, and given some of the players he has helped, could elevate the big-league roster, too.

The Pirates should look at Eric Munson as their next hitting coach.

The difference between pitching at the Triple-A level and MLB is substantial, but the numbers that hitters put up under Munson still qualified as significant signifiers.

Henry Davis is an important player to the future of the Pirates, but he has only ever been productive under Munson. At the MLB level this season, Davis has a wRC+ of just 31 with an OPS of .453 and a strikeout percentage of 36.9%. That is unserviceable, but in Triple-A, Davis posted a 148 wRC+ with a .956 OPS and had a strikeout rate of just 22.4%. The arms he saw were obviously of a very different quality, but he also played in 20 more games with Indianapolis, which makes it even more impressive. That difference is too drastic to write off entirely.

Another player who has been very similar in producing exceptionally well in Triple-A, but not as impressively in MLB is Nick Gonzales. Although he has been a decent hitter for the Pirates, he is still below average. In 2023 and 2024, Gonzales has been excellent under Munson. He has a great 144 wRC+ with an OPS of .958 and 19 home runs in Triple-A play. Those numbers have not translated to the MLB level, as he has yet to produce a league-average wRC+ or an OPS over .700.

Even a player like Alika Williams, who has a career wRC+ of 44 and an OPS of .529, has done terrifically under Munson. He has yet to bat under .300 when Munson is coaching, along with having an above-average wRC+.

Thanks to the individual players that he has performed well with, Munson has also led his teams to solid hitting numbers overall. The Indianapolis Indians lead the International League in batting average. The offense also ranks in the top 10 in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. It's been very impressive to see what the offense has done this season under his watch.

It has not been just one successful season in Indianapolis, either. Since being hired in 2022, Munson's offense has been ranked in the top 10 in each season for all statistics listed above.

Munson definitely seems like a safe choice as the successor to Andy Haines. The offense just has not been good enough under Haines, so looking for a replacement is very much a necessity. Looking internally for help, and a familiar face for the young core, could be a great decision for the Pirates.