Darnell Coles facts for kids

Darnell Coles, born on June 2, 1962, is an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) and in Japan (Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB). He played mostly as a third baseman and outfielder from 1983 to 1997. Since 2014, he has been a coach in MLB. He is currently the hitting coach for the Washington Nationals.

Early Life and High School Sports

Darnell Coles grew up in California. He went to Eisenhower High School. There, he was a star athlete. He played four different sports and earned a "letter" in each. He was also named the most valuable player (MVP) in baseball three times.

Playing Baseball Professionally

Starting His Career

On June 3, 1980, the Seattle Mariners picked Darnell Coles in the first round of the MLB Draft. He was the sixth player chosen overall. Coles had offers to play both baseball and football at UCLA. But he decided to sign with the Mariners instead.

Key Moments as a Player

In 1986, Coles played for the Detroit Tigers. That year, he hit 20 home runs, which was his highest number in one season. He also had two games where he hit three home runs. One was in 1987 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The other was in 1994 when he played for the Toronto Blue Jays. In 1993, he won the World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Coaching Baseball Teams

Early Coaching Roles

In 2006, Darnell Coles started coaching. He became a special hitting instructor for the Washington Nationals organization. He helped players learn how to hit better. In 2007, he was the manager for the Vermont Lake Monsters. The next year, in 2008, he managed the Hagerstown Suns.

Moving Up in Coaching

On November 19, 2008, Coles became the hitting coach for the Syracuse Chiefs. This team was a Triple-A affiliate for the Nationals. Triple-A is one step below the Major Leagues.

In 2012 and 2013, he managed the Huntsville Stars. Then, on October 10, 2013, he was chosen to manage the Nashville Sounds. This was another Triple-A team. However, he soon got a new job. On November 25, the Detroit Tigers hired him as an assistant hitting coach.

Major League Coaching

On October 23, 2014, the Milwaukee Brewers announced that Coles would be their hitting coach. He stayed with the Brewers until the end of the 2018 season. After that, he became the hitting coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019. He left that position on June 10, 2021. After the 2021 season, the Washington Nationals hired him as their hitting coach. He continues in this role today.