Minus the hitting part, the coach has been fired.
SEATTLE -- Hitting coach Alan Cockrell was fired by the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, becoming the fall guy for an underperforming offense that is the worst in the American League.
Cockrell was scouting in the Mariners video room at Safeco Field when he was called into manager Don Wakamatsu's office and told of the change by Wakamatsu and general manager Jack Zduriencik. Alonzo Powell was promoted from Triple-A Tacoma, where he's been hitting coach for three seasons, to take Cockrell's spot.Overall, Seattle is hitting .225 and ranks last in the AL in eight offensive categories, including slugging, on-base percentage, hits, runs and homers.
Along with the offensive woes this week were the issues with outfielder Milton Bradley, who was expected to add a little pop to Seattle's light-hitting order. Bradley was placed on the restricted list earlier this week to deal with personal issues and is away from the team.