Dodgers hire Pedro Guerrero as hitting coach, replacing Aaron Bates

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers have hired Pedro Guerrero as a hitting coach, bringing him back to the organization that drafted him as a player.Guerrero replaces Aaron Bates, who couldn't reach agreement on a new contract. Bates had been co-hitting coach with Robert Van Scoyoc since 2023 and he had been on the coaching staff since 2019.The Pedro Guerrero hired Tuesday is not to be confused with the Pedro Guerrero who played 11 seasons in Los Angeles and won a World Series title with the Dodgers in 1981, when he was Series MVP.Guerrero, 37, spent the last two seasons with the Miami Marlins in the same role. Last season, the Marlins' offense ranked in the top 10 among major league teams in various categories, including on-base percentage (.320, 6th), batting average (.249, 7th), hits (1,347, 9th) and OPS (,727, 9th).Guerrero worked as an assistant hitting coach for the San Francisco Giants (2022-24) and Philadelphia Phillies (2018-21) and as the bench coach for Rookie-Advanced Ogden (2016-17) before joining the Marlins.He spent his playing career in the Dodgers’ minor league organization from 2006-13. The infielder hit .236 with 23 home runs and 163 RBI, reaching Triple-A Albuquerque in 2010. ___See AP’s full MLB coverage here