The Braves have parted ways with longtime pitching coach Roger McDowell, declining to pick up the 2017 option on his deal, general manager John Coppolella announced Friday.
McDowell, 55, just completed his 11th season with the team.
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"Roger is a terrific coach and an even better person," Coppolella said in press release. "We wish him and his family nothing but the best in the future."
At least one high-ranking Braves executive was not satisfied with the development of young pitchers under McDowell, an unidentified source told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The team is trying to rebuild through pitching and will look to hire a pitching coach who is effective working with young arms.
Higher on the Braves coaching chain, the team’s manager position is also open. There are believed to be two candidates for the job: Bud Black, a former MLB pitcher who was praised for his work with young pitchers as skipper of the Padres from 2007-15, and Brian Snitker, who took over as interim manager in Atlanta when the team fired Fredi Gonzalez in May and went 59-65 in the role.