Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets bench coach Hensley Meulens (left) talks with manager Luis Rojas during the morning spring training workout. Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Colorado Rockies Fire Hitting Coach Hensley Meulens 3 Weeks Into Season

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Sam Connon | Last updated Apr 17, 2025 5:04 PM ET

The Colorado Rockies have relieved hitting coach Hensley Meulens of his duties, the team announced Thursday afternoon.

Meulens joined manager Bud Black's staff back on Nov. 7, 2022, taking charge of the Rockies' offense ahead of the 2023 campaign.

Colorado ranks No. 21 in MLB with a .220 batting average 18 games into the 2025 regular season, on top of ranking No. 24 in slugging percentage and No. 25 in on-base percentage. The Rockies ranked No. 14 in slugging percentage in 2024, but came in at No. 23 in both batting average and on-base percentage.

The Rockies' 3-15 record stands alone as the worst in baseball three weeks post-Opening Day. Their 123-219 record and 3,355 strikeouts since Meulens arrived are both worst in the National League in that time.

Meulens initially broke through as the San Francisco Giants' hitting coach in 2010, winning three World Series rings before becoming the New York Mets' bench coach in 2020. He was fired from that post after just one season, ultimately bouncing back as an assistant hitting coach for the New York Yankees in 2022.

After one season in Colorado, Meulens was fired as the Netherlands national team's manager. He had been in charge of the team since the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

The 57-year-old from Curaçao has now been let go from his full-time job as well.

We have relieved hitting coach Hensley Meulens of his duties. Special Assistant to the GM, Clint Hurdle, has been named hitting coach for the remainder of the season.
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 17, 2025

Special assistant to the general manager Clint Hurdle has been named as Colorado's hitting coach for the remainder of the season. Hurdle previously served as the Rockies' hitting coach from 1997 to 2002, before he was promoted to manager.

Hurdle spent eight seasons as the manager in Colorado, leading the organization to their only NL pennant in 2007. He went on to win NL Manager of the Year in 2013, midway through his nine-year stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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