We all don't like what we are seeing from the Yankees. I am sure that is the understatement of the century at this point, but we've had too much go wrong this season and not enough go right. We ranted about certain players from time to time because those are the easiest targets....but what about the coaches?
The Yankees finally got their ace pitcher with Gerrit Cole, and then dismissed tenured pitching coach Larry Rothschild also. The Yankees made an interesting move and hired analytics driven Matt Blake as their new pitching coach. Blake had no major league experience, but a cutting-edge thought process that intrigued the Yankees but it hasn't translated well on the field yet. Now it has some people asking....was Rothschild really that outdated? Did the Yankees make the wrong choice by hiring Blake instead?
I don't think a short 60 game season is enough to really feel confident on Blake yet. I have some definite concerns with Blake, and I think if he sticks around there's a lot of changes I would like to see made. Jordan Montgomery's start last week comes to mind. He was visibly struggling on the mound and Blake didn't even bother to go out to the mound and talk to him. He's been better as of late but I would like him to be more visible.
I know he has all of the analytics in his head, but is this data getting to the pitchers? If it is, why aren't they executing? That's another big part for me, it's one thing to identify a problem, but a coach needs to be able to work with the player and FIX the problem. There are definitely problems to fix here. Montgomery is struggling to find the strike zone, and Cole isn't looking like his dominant self either. The bullpen is also another problem. Our high leverage relievers aren't getting the job done and the bullpen gets taxed.
If Blake has the skill set, knowledge and ability to succeed as a pitching coach we aren't seeing it yet. Unfortunately this is a results based business, so that could be bad news for Blake. It does make me wonder if he should've spent a season as an assistant pitching coach first, but at this point I guess it doesn't matter. Back to Rothschild, I don't think he had an outdated philosophy, I just think the Yankees were looking for a new direction. Besides, Rothschild and the Padres are sitting prettier than the Yankees are right now. They are in second place, while we are greatly underachieving. Oh, and for any of you fWAR fans out there, last season the Yankees were ranked 10th, this season we are 20th under new leadership with a new ace pitcher....so I can't call Rothschild outdated.
But pitching isn't the only problem, right? I'm more likely to be critical of our batting than anything else....so that leads me to Marcus Thames. He's been with the Yankees since 2013 where he started coaching in AAA Scranton / Wilkes-Barre. He was eventually promoted as the Yankees hitting coach following the 2017 season. He's got the knowledge, but again, this is a results based business and we can say the Yankees aren't producing, look HERE. The Yankees have some big bats while the team has been plagued by injuries we are better than a .235BA, which is ranked 21st in the majors and we are 19th for RBIs. This team is capable of much more than this even with injuries. We have depth that a lot of these other teams just don't have, but we still aren't producing.
The Yankees have also struggled with runners in scoring position for a long time now. The Yankees have a lot of the same issues, but somehow Thames is still here. I think the Yankees should be paying more attention to this especially when you have regulars with a .200BA. The Yankees can't afford to have regular players not hitting and just benching them isn't the answer. At some point, we have to look at this and see that while pitching is a concern....the hitting is a major concern. The Yankees series against the Orioles is an example of what CANT happen. The Orioles are rebuilding and have a Triple-A roster. The Yankees shouldn't be losing games like that and also only scoring nine runs in three games isn't acceptable.
I think Thames is a smart guy, I liked him as a Yankee. I just don't think I buy into him as our hitting coach anymore. I think the hitting is a glaring problem, and needs to be corrected moving forward. I can give Blake a pass....for now.
Excellent and precise article
ReplyDeleteKudos Jeana
Analytics are fine when figuring out which pitch to throw at which time. They do not fix arm slot, grip, leg kick, or any other mechanics. You need a pitching coach who can look at the tape and figure out why the pitcher is missing his command, why there is a dip in velocity, why a pitch isn’t breaking the way it should. Cashman has gone all in on analytics and abandoned fundamentals. Need a balance of both. I thought they were headed there under Girardi.
ReplyDeleteRight on point; a well written and thought out article. Totally agree.
ReplyDeleteWe took a chance with an untested ( in the majors) pitching coach, and it has failed miserably. The hitting, or should I say the CONDITIONING, which is the responsibility of the Manager and the Hitting Coach, has been horrendous (sub .200 hitters throughout the lineup; too many bodies on the IL for died tissue stuff. That’s a result of conditioning, or in this case, non-conditioning.
At season’s end, which I fear will happen soon, clean house, including the GM. We can only do better with new management. BB