Jeremy Hefner and Antoan Richardson join club as pitching coach and first base coach
ATLANTA – The Atlanta Braves today announced two additions to their coaching staff for the 2026 season. Jeremy Hefner will join the club as the major league pitching coach, while Antoan Richardson will serve as the major league first base coach.
Hefner, 39, spent the previous six seasons as the pitching coach for the New York Mets. Throughout his tenure, the Mets pitching staff earned six All-Star selections, posted the sixth-best ERA (4.02), gave up the fourth-fewest hits and garnered the fifth-most strikeouts of any National League club. Before coaching the Mets, he worked in the Minnesota Twins organization for three seasons, first as a major league advance scout before transitioning to assistant major league pitching coach in 2019.
A native of Perkins, Okla., the former right-handed pitcher was selected by the San Diego Padres in the fifth round of the 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft out of Oral Roberts University. Hefner reached the majors with the Mets in 2012, compiling an 8-15 record and a 4.65 ERA across 50 MLB appearances (36 starts).
Richardson, 42, served the last two seasons as the first base coach, outfield coordinator and baserunning instructor for the Mets. Under his guidance in 2025, the club led MLB in stolen base percentage (89.1%), ranking seven points higher than the next-closest club. Previously, Richardson coached in the San Francisco Giants system, serving one season as a minor league field coordinator (2019) and four seasons as the major league first base coach, where he also oversaw baserunning and outfield instruction (2020-23).
A native of Nassau, Bahamas, the former outfielder was selected by the Giants in the 35th round of the 2005 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Vanderbilt University. Richardson appeared in 22 games over two major league seasons, slashing .350/.381/.350. He appeared in nine games for the Braves, where he made his major league debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 4, 2011, logging his first major league hit off Clayton Kershaw.
The balance of the 2026 Atlanta Braves coaching staff will be announced at a later date.
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