The Boston Red Sox made their first coaching change off the offseason, and it wasn't someone you'd think would get canned.
Assistant hitting coach Andy Barkett has been relieved of his duties after two years with the organization, according to The Boston Globe's Alex Speier. The move seems somewhat surprising after several Red Sox had outstanding offensive seasons.
Barkett joined the Red Sox after managing the Pittsburgh Pirates' Triple-A affiliate in 2017 and also served as a minor league coach and coordinator as well. Barkett is bilingual, according to Speier, and worked well with Spanish-speaking third baseman Rafael Devers, who had a breakout season (.311, 32 homers, 115 RBI, .916 OPS, 54 doubles).
Speier notes that the Red Sox are expected to look for someone who is "more analytically based" to fill the role of assistant to hitting coach Tim Hyers next season.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.