SOMEONE'S GOTTA GO! HERE IS WHERE I WOULD START....

How long do we have to wait to "hit rock bottom" and just sit and accept failure? I was unimpressed with Brian Cashman's Zoom conference this week and I really hoped that Tuesday's win was going to be the start of heading in the right direction. Maybe I am just impatient but I am tired of waiting. Last night didn't give me any hope. Cashman may have faith in his people....but I don't. I'm not alone. It's time to make some unpopular decisions.

I'm over Marcus Thames. He's ineffective and not getting the job done. The Yankees have trusted Thames as their head hitting coach since the 2018 season and the Yankees have had their fair share of offensive struggles for a long time. We like the long ball for sure, but we should be better with consistent situational hitting....but we aren't. We just can't hit at all right now and it's unacceptable.

And that was a painful reminder last night. Wednesday's game was the 11th time in 17 games that the Yankees scored three or fewer runs. It was also the fifth game in a row(!) they've had five or less hits. Does it get anymore pathetic than that? Unfortunately it does. The Yankees haven't scored so few runs in their first 17 games since 1984. The hits just keep on coming...just not on the baseball field where we need them.

Oh, but don't worry Yankee fans , because Cashman has "a lot of trust in the people we have" and he wants us all to believe it. He's seen "a lot of magic along the way" and he wants to sell everyone a picturesque scene of butterflies and rainbows, apparently. You can read more about his vision HERE if you want but I call it a bunch of garbage. Where's the magic this season, Cashman? I only see a sinking ship and you and Hal Steinbrenner are enabling it.

Right now, you can START to save the ship by getting rid of Thames. It's not working at all. We need new life in this team. You said "we don't see us reacting to not believing in the staff we have" but you should be! It's not working. Waiting for a new day and for everyone to have an epiphany is just INSANITY. A 6-10 record has NO MAGIC and only epic failure. When do you say "enough is enough" and actually be a leader? The Yankees had a very short leash with both Jeff Pentland and Alan Cockrell but Thames has had MANY chances. And I don't want to hear anything about "loyalty" here. This is a business and right now this team is failing. Be a leader and make a change because that is what is best for this team.

Marcus Thames has to go. I've believed this for a while now, but now it is obvious. It can't be overlooked. We can all see it. Open your eyes, Yankees. It's time for some new life. It's time to set the tone and stop being SOFT and CODDLING people. You can start to make a change NOW by letting Thames go. 

Letting Thames go is the right answer, there's no reason to keep him. Cut the cord already! Thank you for your years of service as a player and a coach, Thames....but this isn't working and it's time to part ways. He should've been fired a while ago. It's not personal, it's just business. 

#BYEBYETHAMES   #YANKSNEEDANEWHITTINGCOACH   #SORRYNOTSORRY

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj

WAIT. EXPERIENCE IS NOT NEEDED FOR A BENCH COACH?!

"“Experience is important, but it’s not the be all, end all. I want smart sitting next to me. I want confident sitting next to me.” -Aaron Boone

SAY WHAAAAAT?!

That is an interesting quote that has stuck with me after the Yankees officially announced Aaron Boone as their new manager. The Yankees are going through a lot of changes with the younger players and now a brand new manager and soon to be coaching staff. It's a lot all at once.

Photo: New York Yankees

So when Boone said that and said experience wasn't exactly necessary I had to go back and re-read the quote. I am still getting used to the idea of Boone as our next manager. I said previously that if the Yankees brought on an inexperienced manager that an experienced bench coach and coaching staff would be important and for more than one reason.

To succeed in New York you absolutely need the confidence factor, so that I completely agree with Boone on. However, if he wants "smart sitting next to me" I really think that is an experienced coach here. The idea of the blind leading the blind scares me a little. Boone has a lot of baseball knowledge but calling a game on ESPN and being the guy that makes the moves during the game are two very different things.

John Connolly/NorthJersey.com

The Yankees have a roster of young kids. Some of them got a full year under Joe Girardi and now Aaron Boone is going to introduce his own approach and way of doing things which I am guessing will be extremely different that how Joe did things. The Yankees clearly wanted that difference from the old regime, so much that some of it's key figure heads are gone.

Photo: Getty Images

Some people may not care, but I am going to miss Rob Thomson. I really think he is one of the best bench coaches in baseball. He's got a lot of pride, he cares about his guys and he was the mastermind and organization when it came to being ready for Spring Training. I really wish him luck in his new gig as the bench coach for the Phillies. I just wish he was still here in some capacity to help.

At least the Yankees will have the familiar face of Larry Rothschild still around now that the Yankees have officially announced his return but the Yankees will now need to turn their attention to hiring a bench coach, hitting coach, first-base coach, third-base coach and bullpen coach, and there are indications that Mike Harkey could return as bullpen coach according to the New York Post HERE.

Photo: Getty Images

But what about Tony Pena, Marcus Thames and Alan Cockrell? Who knows. It would be weird to not see Pena anymore but that could be a reality. Rumors are already swirling and so far Reggie Willits (Angels minor league coach), Carlos Mendoza and even Carlos Beltran are being considered for coaching staff positions. Mendoza has been with the Yankees since 2009 in a variety of minor league coaching and managerial roles and is well liked by executives in the front office. Could any of these guy be one of Boone's new managers?

I don't know. Brian Cashman said that choosing the rest of the coaching staff could take a couple of weeks. It will be interesting to see who he picks, and depending on who he does pick the explanations could be even more intriguing.

Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com

I just hope Boone rethinks his whole philosophy to the bench coach. He needs a strong staff around him and so will our young up and coming team. Just like many jobs out there.....the quote here should read "HELP WANTED, EXPERIENCE PREFERRED."

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

WHAT'S WRONG WITH JUDGE? THEY'RE NOT THROWING FASTBALLS, SUNSHINE!

Photo: Getty Images

Well... that's part of it...

Why is everyone trying to have a news story asking the question of "What is wrong with Aaron Judge?"  I hate that garbage.  We all know what's going on here! The question is, can he learn to adjust and train to overcome the breaking ball?  If he can, the kid will be fine. If he can't, he'll be known as Kevin Maas.   

Now I like this kid a lot and know what he's capable of, and I have a feeling that with his work ethic, he'll be fine and figure it out.  But for now, can we stop asking that ridiculous question?

Aug. 3, 2017 - Source: David Maxwell/Getty Images North America)

Nothing is automatic in this game.  The first part of the season was a question mark for every pitcher that faced him, because he really had no body of work in the Bigs, and they were trying to figure Judge out.  Well... now they have, and they're testing... they're testing real good.  And you know what? Judge is in a major slump because of it.

NJ.com has this about Alan Cockrell and what he's seeing in Judge as of late:

"Q: What have you seen out of Judge lately?

A: I think they’re pitching him tough. I think he was put in a lot of onus on himself to try to come up big and carry us in big situations and you can only do what the pitcher will let you do.

Right now, I just don’t think he’s had a lot of balls to do a lot of damage with. So, basically, try to do less. Take what they give you and if they want to walk you, let them."

Photo: Getty Images

Jesus Cockrell, no kidding.  Hey Yankees! Hire me!  But it's true, they are throwing junk. They are moving the ball around the zone... they have him on his toes and he can't figure it out... but he has to, we need him!

So look, everyone calm down, Judge can overcome this... and by the way, that's why there's a pitching coach, to help him learn to decipher which pitch is coming and how it looks coming out of the pitcher's hand.  They will figure it out... but for the love of God, PLEASE stop asking what's wrong with Aaron Judge... because we all already know... it's the breaking ball or something he just can't adjust too right now. 

In the first half of the season it was Judge 1 - Pitchers 0.  Well... the pitchers are striking back.

JACOBY ELLSBURY & MY TAKE

(Sept. 9, 2016 - Source: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America)

I read Suzie Pinstripes' BYB piece entitled CAN ELLSBURY BRING 'BOSTON' BACK TO HIS GAME? with great interest this weekend, and I'm afraid like Ells himself it left me underwhelmed.

My colleague's story,  based on a  nugget in the NY Daily News by Mike Mazzeo quoting Yankees hitting coach Alan Cockrell, explained that the team had examined tape of Ells in 2011 -- his All-World outlier Boston season the year before the Yankees signed him  when he hit .321 with 32 homers and posted a .928 OPS over 158 games. 

The gist of Cockrell's comments was that the team had noted Ells' MLB record 12 catcher interference calls in 2016, a sign he had moved further back in the box, and so they  "tailored his cage routine and his maintenance work, and tailored it to where we're moving contact not a lot, not a foot, not a foot-and-a-half, but just 3-4 inches more in front of his body."

(Aug. 29, 2016 - Source: Ed Zurga/Getty Images North America)    

While Suzie appears to be "cautiously excited" that Ells may have taken the initiative to try and alter his hitting routine during the off-season, I'm not.

The NYDN piece quoted Cockrell saying that the aforementioned cage and maintenance routines were apparently rejected by Ells as "awkward" to implement  or "think about" during the season so "this is something we'll talk about in spring training." 

(June 15, 2016 - Source: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images North America)

That sounds like someone who thinks their status quo hitting is just fine and not worth messing with to me.  

Further, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, who was also present for Cockrell's presser, points out that the Yankee hitting coach may be chasing a false image on Ellsbury's radar; explaining: "Catcher's interferences were part of Ellsbury's game in Boston as well -- he has 26 since 2007, the most by any Major Leaguer since Pete Rose (29)."

(Aug. 22, 2015 - Source: Al Bello/Getty Images North America)    

My take: Ells is what he is and there's little reason to believe he won't  continue on his current trajectory. I just hope B'wana Brian our big-game hunting GM continues on his and finds some way to move him.

 --Barry Millman
BYB Writer
Follow me on Twitter: @nyyankeefanfore
  

CAN ELLSBURY BRING 'BOSTON' BACK TO HIS GAME?

Source: Rich Schultz/Getty Images North America

I came across an interesting read this week via The Daily News and I'm engaged and cautiously excited that we could get more production from Jacoby Ellsbury this season.  "We looked at all the video from his really big year in Boston, and his contact point was probably 3-4 inches more," (Yankee hitting coach Alan) Cockrell said. "So we tailored his cage routine and his maintenance work, and tailored it to where we're moving contact not a lot, not a foot, not a foot-and-a-half, but just 3-4 inches more in front of his body."

Source: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America

3-4 inches doesn't seem like much but to a hitter, it could be miles, much like 3-4 seconds or 3-4 minutes could be for a runner.  What does it take to teach a veteran hitter like Ellsbury, who is 33, to make a change in his form that could pay high dividends?   According to The Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, "You have to teach your hitters good mechanics, identify what pitch each guy hits the best, where that pitch needs to be in the strike zone, and work a plan to get into hitter’s counts." But this takes time and research and a change in the hitter's form. Much like a swimmer or a runner who needs to change his/her form in order to move faster or move without injury, you have to create good muscle memory and this takes time.

Source: Mike Carlson/Getty Images North America

According to Cockrell and The News, "We talked about it at times last year," he said. "But it's one of those mid-season things where it feels awkward and it's tough to go out and play every night and think about something like that, so this is something that we'll talk about in spring training."

Source: Ed Zurga/Getty Images North America

So if Ellsbury did some work during the off season and if the cage routines are regimented to include these shifts in form necessary to give him the opportunity to hit his "sweet spot" then we could see some quality hitting from our center fielder.

Source: Rich Schultz/Getty Images North America

According to the News Ellsbury, "has not lived up to expectations since signing a seven-year, $153 million deal in 2014. In his first three seasons with the Yankees, he's produced an underwhelming .264/.326/.382 batting line. Manager Joe Girardi has broached the idea of possibly separating Brett Gardner and Ellsbury at the top of the batting order, GM Brian Cashman said."

Source: Rich Schultz/Getty Images North America

Lots of possibilities but at the end of the day, it is about outcomes and that's what we need to see in a guy like Ells who needs to perform at his best every night.  Sure, we all have bad days and bad weeks, but we need more from Jacoby on a consistent basis and what better time than right now.



--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

LARRY ROTHSCHILD: RESIGN OR NOT TO RESIGN?

Hooray! Larry Rothschild may be back?! I don't know if I should be celebrating yet and maybe you are feeling the same as me. I guess I just don't feel very confident in our coaching staff right now. We are a young, rebuilding team. What we have been doing hasn't worked for awhile now so the idea of change is understandable. I am just not so sure of the alternatives.

So Cashman held his annual "State of the Yankees" address, and there was no earth shattering news. The Yankees aren't going to spend a bunch of money this off season. The offense sucked (here is looking at you Alan Cockrell) leading to more of my feelings with HOT & COLD from last week. Last but not least, pitching is going to be the main focus this off season. All Yankee coaches are under contract except Larry Rothschild.

We have heard a lot of comments when it comes to Rothschild here on BYB. Sure, he has the knowledge and the Yankees were lucky enough to steal him from the Cubs.....but should he come back? I don't know. The Yankees seem to be more interested in "power" pitching then command and refining skill sets and if that is the case, what's the fascination with Rothschild?

If the Yankees can go back to commanding pitches and focus on making quality pitches then I think there is a case to be made to keep Rothschild. The problem here is we are not seeing a whole lot of success stories for this. Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman really made Rothschild look good right before they were traded away.

 If you want to be critical, a case like Luis Severino shows what went wrong and why Rothschild shouldn't keep his job. Severino was a dominant front of the order pitcher in 2015 and this season nothing seemed to go right for him. He ended up losing his starting role and was sent back down to the minors only to be called up late in the season in a relief pitcher role. Severino was never supposed to be a relief pitcher and I don't think he should be. It's too early to make that decision but he needs better mentoring from a pitching coach but is Rothschild still up for the job?

The Yankees have missed the post season in three of the last four seasons and have made consecutive changes to their hitting coach so could the Yankees finally change their pitching coach too? Based on all of the rumors it seems unlikely. Multiple sources including MLB Trade Rumors are reporting that the Yankees and Rothschild are trying to work out a deal to return HERE.

The Yankees definitely need to get a pitching coach signed pretty quickly and while I am not 100% sold on Rothschild, I really can't think of any other coaches out there that may be ready to take on the job and better develop our young talent. The Yankees are in a tough rebuilding mode. Rothschild already has the reputation and knows the existing pitchers on hand. If he can get the pitching staff to focus on mechanics and quality he may be the best answer.....but again like last week I am on the fence.

What do you think? Who should the Yankees go after if they don't resign Rothschild? Man I am glad I only have to write about this stuff instead of making these decisions.

 --Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer & Editor
  Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

HOT & COLD

I have mixed emotions when it comes to Alan Cockrell. I try to be objective about everything this season but I change my mind constantly. The Yankees are in a very different place now then they were in May and he may deserve some of that credit. Even if so, there is something that still doesn't sit right with me. It's like I am making weekly "pro" and "con" lists as to whether or not he should stay.

It's no secret, I am not sold on this guy as our hitting coach. Back in May I wrote THE BLAME GAME because I felt like he was getting off too easy. Sure, hitters have to hit but our team was under performing similar to his track record back with the Mariners. I didn't like that Hal Steinbrenner wasn't holding him accountable too. I also didn't like how sometimes when he spoke to the media it sounded like complete word vomit. His lack of ability to express a clear thought was just more evidence to me that the guy can't coach players how to hit!

So here we are at the end of the season. The Yankees have done better when it comes to their hitting but I would hardly call them consistent. Last week the Yankees were shut out in three consecutive games and going back further six times in the past month. This is hardly a great way to stay in the playoff hunt.

I sit here and see the positives and the negatives with Cockrell this season but as I dig deeper I realize it took a lot of digging to get to the silver lining here. Chase Headley did get better after a disastrous start. He was batting .140 at the end of April and didn't have an extra base hit until May 12th. Now his .252 BA, 14 home runs and 50 RBI's are hardly worth bragging about but it is an improvement.

I would like to give him credit for the improvement in Didi Gregorius. At the beginning of the season he was batting ninth and lately we have seen him hitting clean up. It's nice to see, but that also comes in the wake of a removed Alex Rodriguez, part time Mark Teixeira and traded Carlos Beltran. Was his success being masked by the "bigger" bats, or has he simply evolved? This I am just not sure of yet.

And what about the baby bombers? Maybe Cockrell has a hard time reaching the veteran players who are so set in their ways but the young kids like Tyler Austin and Gary Sanchez do respond well to his teachings. It's possible. Maybe Cockrell helped Sanchez break out and become the hitter he is now....the young kid who has performed so well that he could be the Rookie of the Year.

As we approach the off season, I have to wonder if Cockrell should continue to be the Yankees hitting coach. The inconsistency and the lack of accountability just do not sit well with me. We need a coach that is going to help mold these young players in our youth movement into good hitters. There are bright spots this season, but I just don't know how much of that credit can go to him. The Yankees have gone through three hitting coaches in the last three seasons, but should the Yankees look for number four and hope that one is the charm? I don't know. I am conflicted. It's too hard being on the fence!

Are you a Cockrell believer....or are you hot and cold like I am?

 --Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer & Editor
  Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

THIS IS WHAT NO "PLAN B" LOOKS LIKE

"I feel strong. I feel good."

That's what Michael Pineda said this weekend after his train wreck of a start against the Tampa Bay Rays. He definitely doesn't look good.....or strong for that matter. He looks like a desperate pitcher looking to hold on to a job. He is supposed to be our number two not a pitcher that is a bottom feeder not only for his team but for the entire league. How can the Yankees keep running him out there every fifth day?

The short answer here is: They really don't have much of a choice. There is no Plan B. It would be nice if the Yankees had a strong pitcher stashed down in AAA like they have in recent years. Unfortunately this year, we don't. Wouldn't it be nice if we had signed Tim Lincecum right now? Not to go back and bring up "what if's" but the Yankees have traditionally been smart about stashing arms. Right now they have Richard Bleier a lefty who has never pitched in the majors before.

The Yankees have already tried this move once earlier this month with Chad Green and that didn't go very well and they have Luis Cessa in the bullpen. None of these options sound particularly exciting. Green pitched to 9.0 ERA in his only appearance and while Pineda certainly doesn't have anything to brag about he does have one thing that none of these other guys do and that is experience.

Pineda has been terrible. His 6.92 ERA is the worst among American League starting pitchers.His first inning ERA was at 13 entering into Saturday's game, but he tacked on three more runs to that now. He has started in 10 games and has yet to pitch into the seventh inning. It looked like he had started to figure out his issues in his previous start but was short lived.

I wanted to believe that Pineda was figuring it out, but he can't seem to keep the ball down and Larry Rothschild says he can't seem to keep the ball away from righties and inside to lefties. So basically, Pineda just can't locate anything. It sounds like Larry Rothschild has a lot to work on. He has to fix mechanics issues to resolve with Pineda and then when Luis Severino comes back he is going to have to give both of these guys a little confidence. The Yankees cannot afford to coddle either of these pitchers if they want to climb out of the AL East cellar.

Usually when I hear a pitcher say that he feels "good" even though he is pitching poorly I hold my breath because I am waiting to hear that he is hurt. Could Pineda be injured and he just isn't saying anything to the Yankees? Maybe, but even Rothschild doubts that an injury is to blame for all of this. It wouldn't make sense for Pineda to be throwing at the same velocity that he usually does.

According to Joe Girardi, they are going to stick with Pineda for now. They still believe in him regardless of his performance so far this season. He does have a minor league option left so even though they can send him down they do not believe it will benefit him and not only that....it sounds like they have even less confidence in anyone they could all up from the majors. This is a disaster. This is just going through the motions with no real plan....and it isn't going to help the Yankees climb back into the AL East race.

Again I ask....where is the accountability? Pineda isn't to blame, Larry Rothschild isn't at fault for two of his struggling pitchers. The players are to blame but not Alan Cockrell who is supposed to be the hitting expert on the team. Just like Yogi Berra used to say "It gets late early out there" and it is time to right the sinking ship before it's too late.


   
--Jeana Bellezza, 
BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ 
 





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