Get to know Brant Brown, a ‘guru’ hitting coach bringing a ‘fresh’ approach to Marlins

Jacob Amaya is the only player at spring training with the Miami Marlins who has a previous relationship with new hitting coach Brant Brown. The two were together in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization for five years before both found their way to the Marlins this offseason — Amaya via trade, Brown via joining first-year manager Skip Schumaker’s coaching staff.

Amaya, the Marlins’ 12th-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, didn’t need much prodding to give his true feelings on Brown.

“He’s a guru for sure,” Amaya said this week. “That guy knows hitting. He knows the right spots that you’re supposed to be in. You have stuff you do in the weight room that he knows about that will apply to your hitting. He’s just a great hitting coach. He knows what he’s doing, so you kind of want to shut up and listen when he talks.”

That sentiment has been agreed upon by some of the Marlins’ mainstays as well as they got to know Brown over the offseason and through the first two weeks of spring training. The hope is Brown’s presence, along with upgrades in personnel, will make the Marlins’ offense more productive this year after it scuffled during the second half of the 2022 season to finish in the bottom 10 of just about every major offensive category.

Brown, 51, made it a point to be in constant communication with the Marlins’ hitters before they got to Jupiter for camp. Phone calls and FaceTime conversations were the norm, to the point that Brown’s wife pointed out to him how often he was on the phone.

“He’s as eager as a hitting coach and as ready to go as I’ve ever seen in my time here,” said first baseman Garrett Cooper, who is now on his fifth hitting coaches in six years with the Marlins. “He texts me every other day it seems like to go over video or see if I have any questions. He wants to break down new stuff. It’s a very hands-on approach that we haven’t had the past few years where we’re breaking down video after almost every swing and just in batting practice, we were breaking down swings. I haven’t done that in a long time. I think the willingness to change hitters, to help hitters, at a level that I haven’t seen before, is something fresh and new.”

Added center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr.: “We talked a lot during the offseason, sending him videos and everything. He’s a great hitting coach. He’s very detailed with his work, even to the analysis of facing pitchers. That’s a great thing that we brought into the clubhouse. He’s very advanced. I feel like guys in the clubhouse, we need that, especially me, who’s a guy who hasn’t really been structured the last couple of years. I feel like he can help us a lot.”

So what is it about Brown’s approach that has Marlins hitters fascinated?

‘Make it as simple as possible’

Above all else, Brown’s tactics start with a general understanding: There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to hitting. Every tweak and every adjustment, no matter how minor, impacts everything else surrounding a hitter’s approach at the plate.

And with so much variance that can come into play with each hitter and from one hitter to the next, Brown is of the belief that less is more.

“[It’s] more simplistic than difficult at the beginning to increase the value of the hitter, help them become a better baseball player — understand the game, what it’s calling for — and then [learn] how to actually study for a pitcher,” Brown said. “Also, at the same time, knowing your own weaknesses. Before you can exploit your enemy’s weakness, you have to know your own.

“Hitting is hard enough,” Brown added, “so [I’m] trying to make it as simple as possible in these realms to where they can go out and execute and not be thinking about a million things all at the same time.”

Immediate feedback

Multiple times during spring training, Brown has been seen giving players feedback as soon as they finish a round of batting practice. He wants his hitters to hone in on what they do best and prioritize those strengths as they get their reps in each day.

His message boils down to one overarching question he is asking his players: What do you value in your at-bat?

“It’s about understanding where your blind spots are,” Brown said, “and making sure you’re not opening every door in the hallway.”

While Brown is extremely hands-on with putting together gameplans with players, he also works with the analytics department to maximize time and effort. The relationship between the hitting coach and analytics, when executed correctly, is critical for instant decision making during games. It is Brown’s job to take the information he receives and communicate it to hitters in a way that is easy for them to digest.

“When we’re in the dugout, when we’re in the thick of it and we need you to execute,” Brown said, “I am going to be talking to that hitter. ... We’ve been going through with all the guys: ‘In a sentence with eight seconds, how do I say it so you’re clear and you know what to do and you go execute?’”

What he sees from the lineup

Now, the players Brown has at his disposal matter, too, and the Marlins made an effort to diversify the hitter profile of their lineup this offseason through the additions of infielders Jean Segura and Luis Arraez, a duo of high-contact, low-strikeout hitters.

Add them to a lineup that has players with power potential (Chisholm, Avisail Garcia, Jorge Soler, Cooper) and speed (Chisholm again, Jon Berti) and other contact-oriented hitters (Joey Wendle, Bryan De La Cruz) and Brown has some flexibility with how he finds ways to get hitters to amplify their strengths.

“Each lineup should have different types of hitters that have different superpowers,” Brown said. “They do what they do best. This guy gets on base. This guy is a hit collector. This guy can hit doubles and homers and singles. By putting that in a lineup every single night, you engage their superpowers and that’s how you keep consistent pressure.”

Trickle-down effect

Brown doesn’t want his teachings to apply solely to players on the big-league roster. He has been in constant communication with those involved with the hitting process on the minor-league side — namely hitting coordinator Jeff Livesey, Triple A hitting coach Greg Colbrunn and Double A hitting coach Matt Snyder.

His main message to them: “These are our principles, this is how we’re going to gameplan, this is what we’re going to talk about, these are the big principles with the mechanics. I want to give you freedom to coach, but this is kind of a menu to do that.”

“If the lines get crossed and it gets too broad and [players are] going from level to level and hearing all kinds of different stuff, that confuses your player and does not help your organization,” Brown added. “Just making sure that wherever they go, they’re going to see the same stuff, they’re going to hear the same stuff [and] they’re going to do the same stuff so then we get [to the big leagues], no one’s shocked. It’s just a normal day.”