Brewers hire Darnell Coles as hitting coach

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MILWAUKEE -- Darnell Coles is the new hitting coach for the Milwaukee Brewers, a team that missed the playoffs in large part because of problems at the plate.

Coles returns to Milwaukee after spending this season as the assistant hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers. Coles previously worked in the Brewers organization as the team's Double-A manager from 2012-13, and as minor league hitting coordinator in 2011.

Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin said Thursday the 52-year-old Coles had the familiarity to connect with the Brewers' hitters.

Detroit last season led the majors in batting average at .277, while ranking second in on-base percentage (.331) and slugging percentage (.426).

The Brewers' feast-or-famine offense tailed off dramatically during a late-season swoon that dropped them out of first place in the NL Central.

Copyright 2014 by The Associated Press

This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index

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