ALL EYES ON MATT BLAKE FOR 2022 SEASON

The Yankees just cleaned house and cut some weak links in the coaching department. It's a start, but it's a good finish if they walk away from Aaron Boone also. I'm not going to hold my breath on that one though. The Yankees decided to hold on to their pitching coach which some big expectations moving forward.

I'm still trying to get a good feel for Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake. He's still new to this show and we all know college baseball isn't the same. I think Blake had some highs and lows this season unlike some of the other managers who won't be returning. Some of his analytical focus helped the Yankees, but can that continue moving forward?

It's easy to forget some of the good stats after the Yankees just had a rough regular season and an early exit in the postseason, but there was a bright spot in the Yankees pitching staff. We don't talk a lot about WAR here on BYB but it is something that the Yankees analytics department puts a lot of emphasis on it so their fourth place rank in WAR (Wins Above Replacement) is an accomplishment. The Yankees also had the sixth-best ERA at 3.76 that if the Yankees can build upon going forward will make them a stronger team.

Now that the Yankees have had some success in these categories now the Yankees need to make improvements to some specific players and that will be a challenge for Matt Blake going forward.
I think there are three players that Blake will need to work with and improve going forward.

1. Aroldis Chapman

The bullpen has been a strength for the Yankees in recent years, but Chapman seemed to implode this year. He wasn't the reliable closer the Yankees needed and gave up too many big hits (especially the 9 home runs) when the Yankees needed him. He cost the Yankees too many games and Blake needs to work with Chapman to fix what went wrong so it doesn't happen again next season.

2. Gerrit Cole

Our ace didn't have a "bad" year, but he had more troublesome outings than we ever wanted to see especially down the stretch when the Yankees were fighting just to get into the postseason. There were just too many appearances where he gave up too many hits, the control wasn't there and it turned into a clunker. His last start against the Blue Jays was a good example of that. We need to see Cole get back to that big game pitcher with confidence again.

3. Deivi Garcia

This is the tough one. Garcia has regressed dramatically compared to where he was in 2019 and 2020. His two appearances this season were disappointing loses with a 6.48 ERA and 10.5% percent walk rate in 8.1 frames. His 2020 season definitely was a smaller sample size but he showed progress with his command and control that did not continue into 2021. The Yankees need more pitching depth and as young as Garcia is, he has potential to be a good starter for the Yankees going forward. Blake has a lot of work ahead of him to get Garcia back on track and get back to what makes him a top pitching prospect.

I think 2022 will be an important year for Blake. The Yankees have a lot of question marks in the starting rotation and need to make sure their bullpen remains an asset. He's got a tough job to prove that his approach can continue to work. All eyes are on him as we continue to scrutinize the coaching staff.  He's got another opportunity to show Yankee brass and fans that he can improve this team while some of his other colleagues do not. 

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Senior Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj