SoSH Challenge: Predict the New Yankee Hitting Coach

[jon abbey]

After today's game, NY fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson, the first time Cashman has ever fired a coach midseason. That's far far from NY's only issue, but what this thread is for is to call on the collective expertise of SoSH to see if we can guess who they might hire in the next few days. This is what we know, via Bryan Hoch on Twitter:

"Brian Cashman said that the next hitting coach will come from outside the organization, and he wants the new person in place by the Colorado series coming out of the All-Star break."

I'm guessing NY goes with a former MLB hitter this time, with all the veterans in the lineup. They had Eric Chavez in place but the Mets poached him in Jan 2022 by offering him a better position, he was their hitting coach last year and is their bench coach currently.

Anyway, we probably have 2-3 days to collectively beat NY to their announcement, the gauntlet has been thrown down.

 

[mauidano]

Donnie Baseball.

 

[jon abbey]

He is the bench coach for TOR currently, that doesn't seem likely.

 

[jon abbey]

Brendan Kuty says in The Athletic that it is down to two unnamed finalists, Chili Davis I always liked, and I advocated here for both Ibañez and Beltran to be hired over Boone originally, so that list works for me.

"It’s got to be someone who immediately brings legitimacy, someone whose name the players know and will want to listen to from the jump. Could it be Chili Davis, who doesn’t have a job and has plenty of experience as a hitting coach? What if it’s Raúl Ibañez, who’s currently working for MLB? They would need permission from the Mets to interview Carlos Beltrán, who works in Steve Cohen’s front office. I’m just speculating with those names, but the point stands: It just feels like the next hitting coach will need name recognition. And, Chris, you’re right. Will it really matter who comes in next? The Yankees seem to think so, or else they wouldn’t have made the move. Here’s what we do know: A person with knowledge of the Yankees’ personnel decisions told The Athletic that the team had narrowed its search down to two people by Sunday afternoon."

 

[Doc Zero]

Rubén Amaro Jr.

 

[bsj]

Hensley Meulens

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

Alex Rodriguez

 

[jon abbey]

Hensley Meulens

Current hitting coach for COL, seems unlikely.

 

[jon abbey]

Alex Rodriguez

Like hiring Michael Jackson (when he was alive) as a singing coach.

 

[Mystic Merlin]

What’s a Willie Randolph up to?

 

[Saints Rest]

Jeter Anusface
Jeter Jeter Anusface
Jeter Anusface

 

[jon abbey]

What’s a Willie Randolph up to?

Ooooh, this might be a very good call. Randolph was in spring training with NY this year, he and Volpe were evidently inseparable.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

In all seriousness, I wonder if it is someone recently retired and maybe played for the Yankees?

 

[simplicio]

Convince Matt Carpenter to retire? He looks pretty cooked.

 

[jon abbey]

In all seriousness, I wonder if it is someone recently retired and maybe played for the Yankees?

Brett Gardner!

 

[scott bankheadcase]

Is Mike Easler still alive?

 

[Mystic Merlin]

The funny pick - other than A-Rod, of course - would be Alfonso Soriano.

 

[jon abbey]

I mean, if we’re going to just throw out former Yankees, give me Gary Sheffield.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Is Mike Easler still alive?

Yes. He's an ordained Baptist minister

 

[thehitcat]

Dan Fiorito current roving hitting instructor for the Yanks and former Double A manager so he's had some of these guys play for him already. I know Cashman said he wants to hire outside the organization but there isn't a ton of time to get that done.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Yes. He's an ordained Baptist minister

That couldn’t hurt.

 

[wallypip]

I'm pretty sure I saw Matt Holliday at Friday night's game. I was watching the Cubs feed in a bar, so I could be wrong. BTW, if they bring Randolph on board, his primary focus should be Gleyber's defense.

 

[Doug Beerabelli]

George Costanza

 

[Mugsy's Jock]

I'll give anyone odds that Nick Swisher's resume is already in.

 

[jon abbey]

No one guessed Sean Casey?

View: https://twitter.com/jonheyman/status/1678439459367550976?s=46&t=0GHHaPVUX26Io0V2HIcS0g

 

[SemperFidelisSox]

Billy Martin Jr.

 

[jon abbey]

And we have a winner.

View: https://twitter.com/ken_rosenthal/status/1678440915801894913?s=46&t=0GHHaPVUX26Io0V2HIcS0g

 

[budcrew08]

Beat by a few seconds with the answer

 

[jon abbey]

View attachment 67179

Donnie Baseball.

Andy Martino says they would have gone for him if he was available.

https://sny.tv/articles/yankees-manager-aaron-boone-safe-hitting-program-faces-questions

 

[OurF'ingCity]

Interesting choice given that I don’t believe Casey has any past coaching experience unless I missed it (not that that necessarily is a prerequisite).

 

[jon abbey]

Interesting choice given that I don’t believe Casey has any past coaching experience unless I missed it (not that that necessarily is a prerequisite).

It seems like a short-term thing, Casey just agreed to do it for the remainder of 2023. He is tight with Boone (teammates for a while in CIN) and NY presumably felt they needed a former player to better get through to the team. NY's assistant hitting coaches will remain the same, so it's something of a figurehead job, I think.

 

[EvilEmpire]

If Mattingly ever comes back to the Yankees, it'll probably be for Boone's job. Assuming his management style meshes with what Cashman wants.

Also assuming Cashman sticks around, I guess.

 

[bankshot1]

Paul ONeil or Jay Buhner.

 

[jon abbey]

If Mattingly ever comes back to the Yankees, it'll probably be for Boone's job. Assuming his management style meshes with what Cashman wants.

That would be another reason for me to stop being a NY fan, I dislike Mattingly (as a coach/manager) like EE dislikes Beltran.

 

[jon abbey]

Paul ONeil or Jay Buhner.

The game is over, they hired Sean Casey.

 

[bankshot1]

The game is over, they hired Sean Casey.

Water coolers all over the NYC metro area are breathing a sigh of relief.

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

Yankees love their ex Red Sox.

 

[EvilEmpire]

That would be another reason for me to stop being a NY fan, I dislike Mattingly (as a coach/manager) like EE dislikes Beltran.

My biggest takeaway from this statement is that you actually like Boone, just a little. At least more than Mattingly.

I also wouldn't be a fan of Mattingly as manager since I get the impression he's a little too old school for my tastes. But it is also true that I don't have a visceral dislike of him like I do super-cheater mastermind Carlos Beltran.

The worst thing about Mattingly managing might not even be on-the-field stuff. I think if it ever happens it is because Cashman is gone. And that would make me very sad.

 

[mauidano]

This is a bit of a surprising choice, don't you think? Sure Casey was a good hitter but he's been out of that aspect of the game for quite a while now. He's been with MLB Network doing analysis, etc. Has he really been studying Yankee hitters closely? Really; the Yankees couldn't find a coach anywhere else in the system?

I get that Boone probably asked for this and Cashman signed off on this. Just surprised.

 

[E5 Yaz]

I get that Boone probably asked for this and Cashman signed off on this. Just surprised.

This thought and @jon abbey 's comment about this being an interim gig lead me down the well-worn path of whether Boone's job might actually be on the line this year

 

[findguapo]

This is a bit of a surprising choice, don't you think? Sure Casey was a good hitter but he's been out of that aspect of the game for quite a while now. He's been with MLB Network doing analysis, etc. Has he really been studying Yankee hitters closely? Really; the Yankees couldn't find a coach anywhere else in the system?

I get that Boone probably asked for this and Cashman signed off on this. Just surprised.

Yes, this was 100% a Boone pick IMO. Boone and Casey were best friends when they played together on the Reds.

 

[snowmanny]

Wasn’t Casey one of those guys supposedly loved by everybody in the clubhouse.

 

[OurF'ingCity]

My totally uninformed guess is that given Boone’s and Casey’s relationship Boone was already texting/calling Casey during the season to bounce ideas off him, etc. and was impressed enough with Casey’s advice that he thought bringing Casey into the fold formally would be a good idea.

 

[EvilEmpire]

This thought and @jon abbey 's comment about this being an interim gig lead me down the well-worn path of whether Boone's job might actually be on the line this year

I think this is probably it. Cashman is giving Boone someone he trusts to try and turn around the offense and save the season. If it doesn't work they're probably both gone.

Not sure what outcome equals "save the season" though. Doubt making the playoffs is enough. Might not mean a Word Series appearance either. ALCS maybe. Treading water in a year with a lot of injuries. Or something close to that.

 

[SemperFidelisSox]

Let’s assume the East and West division winners are the 1 and 2 seeds. The last Wild Card team will get the Central winner (Twins or Guardians). Would the Yankees winning a Wild Card series against the Twins or Guardians be ”saving the season” for Boone?

I‘m genuinely asking because that’s the most likely playoff scenario in the AL. #6 seed vs AL Central winner.

 

[EvilEmpire]

I think they probably need to win an ALDS, but who knows?

Expectations could be shaped significantly by how much baling wire and duct tape is still being used to hold the roster together at the end of the season.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Let’s assume the East and West division winners are the 1 and 2 seeds. The last Wild Card team will get the Central winner (Twins or Guardians). Would the Yankees winning a Wild Card series against the Twins or Guardians be ”saving the season” for Boone?

I‘m genuinely asking because that’s the most likely playoff scenario in the AL. #6 seed vs AL Central winner.

I'd enjoy this just for the notion of having the Twins win the ALC and think, "Well, there's no way the Yankees will be the last wild card team .... awww, fuck"

 

[jon abbey]

Not sure this is the thread for this discussion, but I don't see how Boone gets fired without Cashman being fired also. Both have strengths and weaknesses:

Boone: The players like him and he is great at always staying calm in press conferences, he is a much better press secretary than he is a manager, but that is a big part of the manager job currently.

Cashman: I think he's very good at accumulating talent, but somehow it is never utilized as well as it should be. I do think he should be given a lot of credit for assembling the bunch of talented prospects in the system now, but that doesn't really matter if NY won't play them once they're potentially ready.

 

[The Napkin]

If nothing else he'll probably make sure they all run to first base

View: https://twitter.com/Ben13Porter/status/1678443782767886337

 

[Murderer's Crow]

Not sure this is the thread for this discussion, but I don't see how Boone gets fired without Cashman being fired also. Both have strengths and weaknesses:

Boone: The players like him and he is great at always staying calm in press conferences, he is a much better press secretary than he is a manager, but that is a big part of the manager job currently.

Cashman: I think he's very good at accumulating talent, but somehow it is never utilized as well as it should be. I do think he should be given a lot of credit for assembling the bunch of talented prospects in the system now, but that doesn't really matter if NY won't play them once they're potentially ready.

And we also have to admit that while Cashman had a really good run at finding unbelievable trade value, the league has caught up or caught on in many ways. Bullpen arms are more plentiful and I think that's why he's still able to do so well every year but when it comes to pure offensive talent? He just can't seem to even get lucky right now. Maybe if Bader could stay on the ifeld.