Should Orioles change their hitting coaches? | MAILBAG

Question: Do you think the Orioles should hire a new hitting coach for next season? I saw a team in the Royals series with no plate discipline, that didn’t work counts and was overly first-pitch aggressive in situations with men on base and less than two outs. From: Ray Mullday

Answer: Ray, this was a popular question. Doc Shared, Augie from Lutherville, Tom Holmes, Phil Gelso and John Leach also asked similar questions or pointed out offensive shortcomings.

After listening to Mike Elias’ press conference on Thursday, I’m convinced that changes to the team are coming. I’m not sure what that will entail because he wasn’t specific, but I know he’s frustrated about the team’s lack of offense in the second half of the season and the postseason.

The Orioles have usually made some changes to their coaching staff. Even though it’s my job to watch Elias’ moves, he’s very hard to predict, so I’ll just guess that they’ll make at least some changes to the staff.

Question: Who on the 40-man roster will become free agents this offseason and who do you think the O’s must protect from the Rule 5 Draft? From: The Obvx

Answer: Corbin Burnes, Anthony Santander, James McCann, Austin Slater and John Means will be free agents. Means is currently not on the roster because he’s on the 60-day injured list. The Orioles hold team options on Danny Coulombe, Seranthony Domínguez, Eloy Jiménez, Ryan O’Hearn and Cionel Pérez.

Brandon Young, who was named the Orioles’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year, is the most likely player to be added to the 40-man roster. Alex Pham, who started 27 games for Bowie, is another possibility.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.