ATLANTA -- Once the Mets overhauled their coaching staff last month, the Braves took advantage of the opportunity to learn why Jeremy Hefner and Antoan Richardson were so well-regarded throughout baseball’s coaching world.
It’s safe to say both lived up to their respective reputations when they interviewed with Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos.
New manager Walt Weiss’ coaching staff started to take shape on Wednesday, when the team announced Hefner will replace Rick Kranitz as the pitching coach and Richardson will replace Tom Goodwin as the first-base coach.
Third-base coach Fredi Gonzalez has also been informed he won’t return. He will likely be replaced within the next few weeks with somebody who can also oversee the team’s infield defense.
It’s hard to argue against the success Kranitz had while serving as Atlanta’s pitching coach over the past seven seasons. The Braves ranked among the top 10 MLB teams in ERA in four of those seasons. The 67-year-old coach would have likely remained with Atlanta had the Mets not relieved Hefner of his duties on Oct. 3.
How widely respected was Hefner while spending the past six seasons as the Mets' pitching coach? The 39-year-old former big league pitcher remained their pitching coach through three changes at the general manager role and two managerial changes. He did so while working with Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and other accomplished veteran pitchers on his New York pitching staffs.
Hefner was widely lauded in 2024 when free agents Luis Severino and Sean Manaea enjoyed instant success. He also helped establish a high-tech pitching lab at the team’s Spring Training facility in Port St. Lucie last year.
This past season proved to be different for Hefner. The Mets’ pitching woes were influenced by significant injuries suffered by Manaea, Kodai Senga, Griffin Canning, Tylor Megill, Frankie Montas and A.J. Minter. The struggles led to the team’s decision to go in a different direction.
Richardson, 42, made his MLB debut for the Braves in 2011. The speedster from the Bahamas was brought up in September with the hope his speed would prove beneficial during the playoffs. But a late collapse erased postseason plans in Atlanta that year.
Richardson is now back with the Braves with the hope he can improve the team’s baserunning and possibly inflate some stolen-base totals. The Mets were unsuccessful with their attempts to extend his contract beyond this past season.
The Braves’ decision to hire two former Mets comes a week after the Mets hired former Braves manager Brian Snitker’s son Troy Snitker to be one of their hitting coaches.