| Darnell Coles | |
|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | |
| Third baseman /Outfielder | |
| Born: (1962-06-02)June 2, 1962 (age 63) San Bernardino, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: September 4, 1983, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| NPB: April 5, 1996, for the Chunichi Dragons | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: May 22, 1997, for the Colorado Rockies | |
| NPB: September 10, 1997, for the Hanshin Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .245 |
| Home runs | 75 |
| Runs batted in | 368 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .284 |
| Home runs | 36 |
| Runs batted in | 107 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Darnell Coles (born June 2, 1962) is an American professionalbaseball player and currenthitting coach for theAtlanta Braves ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB andNippon Professional Baseball (NPB) primarily as athird baseman andoutfielder from 1983 to 1997. He has coached in MLB since 2014.
Coles played baseball as well as football, basketball, and track atEisenhower High School. He was the baseball team's MVP three times.[1]
On June 3, 1980, Coles was drafted by theSeattle Mariners in the first round (sixth pick) of the1980 Major League Baseball Draft. He turned down a jointbaseball andfootball scholarship toUCLA to sign with the Mariners. He reached the majors in 1983, batting .214 in parts of three seasons before the Mariners traded him to theDetroit Tigers forRich Monteleone.[2]
In 1986, Coles hit a career-high 20home runs for the Tigers.[3] He had two three-home run games in his career: in 1987 with thePittsburgh Pirates and in 1994 with theToronto Blue Jays.[4]
In 2006, Coles was hired as the roving hitting instructor for theWashington Nationals organization. He was themanager of theVermont Lake Monsters in 2007, and manager of the Class AHagerstown Suns in 2008. In 2009 he was the hitting coach for the Triple-ASyracuse Chiefs.[5]
On October 10, 2013, Coles was selected to manage theMilwaukee Brewers Triple-A affiliate, theNashville Sounds, after previously managing the organization's Double-AHuntsville Stars from 2012 to 2013.[6] However, on November 25, theDetroit Tigers announced the hiring of Coles as assistant hitting coach.[7]
On October 23, 2014, the Milwaukee Brewers announced Coles replacedJohnny Narron as the hitting coach.[8] He resigned after the 2018 season[9] and became the hitting coach for theArizona Diamondbacks.[10] On June 10, 2021, Coles was relieved of his position with the club.[11]
TheWashington Nationals hired Cole to be their hitting coach following the 2021 season.[5][12]
On November 11, 2025, Coles was hired by theAtlanta Braves to serve as an assistant hitting coach.[13]
· Baseball Almanac| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Vermont Lake Monsters Manager 2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Hagerstown Suns Manager 2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Syracuse Chiefs Hitting Coach 2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Huntsville Stars Manager 2012 - 2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Detroit Tigers Assistant Hitting Coach 2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Milwaukee Brewers Hitting Coach 2015 – 2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Arizona Diamondbackshitting coach 2019–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Washington Nationalshitting coach 2022-present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
