Keep in mind when Brian Cashman stated, “I think we’re pretty f–king good” on the 2023 GM Conferences?
Yankees followers who noticed that quote out of context could have fumed on the normal supervisor after the pinstripers missed the playoffs in 2023. However Cashman, who spoke for over 100 contentious minutes that day, wasn’t referring to the Yankees’ on-field, main league product after beforehand labeling the 2023 marketing campaign a “disaster.”
As a substitute, that quote particularly defended the group’s personnel, together with coaches, entrance workplace members, scouts and analysts.
The Yankees have misplaced greater than a dozen teaching and participant growth staffers this offseason.
Different groups appear to concur, as they’ve been pillaging the Yankees for teaching and participant growth personnel all offseason. On the time of publication, the Yankees had misplaced 14 such workers, in response to quite a few sources, studies and press releases.
If that looks like quite a bit for one offseason, that’s as a result of it’s an “unusually high number,” in response to Reese.
Three of the departures have come from the Yankees’ main league employees: Assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel took the identical job with the Mets, whereas analyst Aaron Leanhardt joined the Marlins as a discipline coordinator. Bullpen catcher Collin Theroux accepted a minor league place with Miami.
Assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel
Minor league hitting coordinator Joe Migliaccio is now the Marlins’ director of hitting. Complicated pitching coordinator Ben Buck joined the Purple Sox as a pitching coordinator. Parker Guinn cracked Boston’s MLB employees as a catching teacher/bullpen catcher after managing the Yankees’ Dominican Summer time League crew. José Javier is the Cubs’ new first base coach after working because the Yankees’ Triple-A defensive coach. Director of velocity growth and baserunning/roving hitting coach Matt Talarico additionally joined the Cubs as their new baserunning offensive coordinator. Rick Guarno went from being the Yankees’ Excessive-A hitting coach to the Mets’ Triple-A hitting coach, whereas David Adams took a discipline coordinator job with the crosstown rivals after serving because the Yankees’ director of Dominican Republic baseball operations.
Trevor Amicone, beforehand the Yankees’ Triple-A hitting coach, is now the Twins’ assistant MLB hitting coach. Graham Johnson is the Blue Jays’ large league bullpen coach following a stint because the Yankees’ Triple-A pitching coach. Double-A hitting coach Kevin Martir took the identical job with the Brewers. Nick Ortiz turned a minor league infield/baserunning coordinator with the Astros after managing the Yanks’ Excessive-A membership.
“I’m kind of a selfish guy who would hope to retain our best coaches,” Reese stated, “but I’m excited about the opportunities they got.”
SEEN AS A GOOD SIGN
Whereas among the departures acquired promotions, others took what look like related or lateral jobs. Nonetheless, even gigs with the identical title can include raises, extra alternatives for profession development, and private advantages, resembling geography and preexisting relationships inside a corporation.
“I lived it. I grew up in that organization,” stated Carlos Mendoza, who turned the Mets’ supervisor final offseason after 15 years of filling quite a few Yankees roles, together with large league bench coach. “The fact that a lot of coaches continue to be pulled away by many different teams says something about their player development program.”
Aaron Boone, whose personal staffs have promoted from the Yankees’ farm over time, stated that Reese and the crew’s participant growth division has achieved “a really good job of hiring people who are valued in the industry.”
Dillon Lawson, who labored because the Yankees’ minor league hitting coordinator earlier than being fired from his submit as MLB hitting coach midway by way of the 2023 season, additionally highlighted Reese.
“One of his most redeeming skills that I got to witness was his ability to evaluate not just players, but also future employees,” stated Lawson, who’s now Boston’s assistant MLB hitting coach after taking a minor league job with the membership in December 2023. “We were given support and guidance from Kevin on how to hire well.”
Lawson additionally credited Yankees director of participant growth Eric Schmitt and assistant director of participant growth Steve Swindal Jr., in addition to present and former workers like Druschel, Leanhardt, Sam Briend, Andrew Wright and Dave Whiteside, who got latitude to construct their respective departments, implement new concepts, and/or make hires of their very own.
“They did a really good job of bringing in some people who respected the Yankee tradition, but who were also still looking to move things forward,” Lawson stated.
Reese stated the membership beforehand had a job with a title that included “staff development.” Whereas that place is now not in place, he stated that he spends extra time on employees growth than he does working with gamers.
Lawson stated that the COVID-19 pandemic allowed the crew to construct out instructional infrastructure, or what he known as “Yankees University,” in 2020.
“It’s an environment where people are learning and challenging each other,” Mendoza stated. “The word gets around.”
Added Guarno: “You’re hearing a lot of the same things from a lot of people, probably because it’s the truth. It was a really good working situation for a lot of people. We loved it. We had a great group across multiple departments.”
PUBLIC VS. INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
Some followers could be shocked to see minor league Yankees workers in excessive demand, as not everybody within the public sphere views their latest participant growth historical past within the highest regard. That’s very true on the offensive aspect of the ball.
Exterior of Aaron Choose, the Yankees’ present roster doesn’t boast any homegrown hitters with monitor information of success, although Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, Jasson Domínguez and Ben Rice have had combined leads to the early levels of their large league careers and are anticipated to contribute in 2025.
Yankees’ Anthony Volpe reacts after being known as out on strikes.
Requested about criticism of the Yankees’ participant growth program, particularly on offense, Reese stated that “hitting is hard” and that “there’s always an adjustment process.” He felt that that course of will get “less tolerance” in New York, the place the Yankees are at all times in win-now mode.
Whereas public notion of the Yankees’ participant growth isn’t at all times favorable, a number of coaches now not with the group stated opposing groups see the Bombers as a mannequin to comply with.
“’The Yankees are the best at developing hitters in the game,’” one of many crew’s former coaches, who requested anonymity, remembers being instructed throughout an interview with one other membership final offseason. “’We want to figure out what you guys are doing.’”
That very same coach stated the Yankees have a broader view of what constitutes participant growth success than the general public.
For instance, Volpe’s inconsistent offensive efficiency up to now has rightfully fueled some questioning from followers and media. However the coach additionally contended that somebody like Rafael Flores, a JUCO discovery turned notable prospect, or Abraham Ramirez, signed out of Venezuela for $30,000 earlier than being included within the Jazz Chisholm Jr. commerce, are participant growth success tales as a result of they went from being unheralded to farmhands with worth.
“I understand fans want homegrown players to come and be stars,” stated one other former Yankees coach who requested to stay anonymous. “But what they’ve done a very good job of in the past few years is developing players to the point where they are trade targets for other teams.”
That reply could not fulfill critics who need younger main leaguers to shine immediately, however Reese reasoned that league-wide curiosity in Yankees personnel is proof that participant growth is doing one thing proper.
“When other teams are coming after them and getting promotions and bringing guys to the big leagues, that speaks well to the people that we had,” he stated. “And hopefully the people we continue to have.
“We take a lot of pride in having good people and continuing to build it. As we search and replace some of the people that we lost, I think that should be a little bit of a selling point, and it is a selling point for us when we’re hiring. It’s like, ‘Hey, come work for us. We had a freakin’ guy coaching in the D.R. last year who got a major league job with the Red Sox.’ I mean, it’s stuff that’s kind of crazy.”
A WIDER HIRING WINDOW
Three sources additionally famous {that a} change to the crew’s contractual schedule could have assisted the mass migration that occurred this offseason.
Contracts for Yankees coaches used to run out on Dec. 31. Nonetheless, they now expire on the finish of the season, which is how most groups have operated. Not each coach that left the Yankees this offseason was on an expiring deal, however that change gave hiring golf equipment extra time to work with.
“In the past, it was harder to get Yankees coaches because the dates didn’t line up,” stated one of many nameless ex-coaches. “Everybody’s trying to hire new coaches in November, early December, and the Yankees contracts weren’t up until the end of December. Now that everybody’s contract with the Yankees lines up with everybody else at the end of the season, it does make it a lot easier to get to an interview and request interviews for Yankees coaches.”
The opposite nameless coach theorized that as a result of the Yankees went all the way in which to the World Collection, they’d different priorities because the offseason shortly started and a few minor league coaches noticed their contracts expire. That very same particular person additionally identified that profitable groups are much less prone to shake up their MLB employees. Meaning fewer development alternatives for the membership’s minor league coaches.
Requested if the schedule change contributed to the Yankees’ personnel losses this offseason, Reese replied, “It is a little like the Rule 5 Draft. You can’t necessarily protect and promote everyone. The biggest reason is these are good employees who have done great work and have earned the chance to take on more responsibility.”
Former Yankees coaches who talked about or have been requested in regards to the altering dates careworn that the crew wasn’t negligible when it got here to retention. A number of former workers stated the Yankees made an effort to maintain them and others; the crew simply couldn’t match the promotions that different groups provided.
“There are only so many spots for people to move up before there’s a logjam,” stated Guarno, who had a suggestion to stick with the Yanks. “A baseball organization is a lot like any other job that somebody outside the game of baseball would work in, and it kind of has a similar structure. The average fan can understand that everybody can’t be promoted all the time in any organization.”
One of many nameless coaches stated the Yankees have a fame for providing more cash and duty when minor league coaches obtain affords elsewhere. They added that, previous to this offseason, when the window to poach Yankees minor league coaches was tighter, some groups typically wouldn’t even interview pinstriped candidates “because they knew you would end up getting a big bag of money dropped in front of you after they offered you a job.”
With vacancies to fill earlier than the 2025 season, a slew of recent coaches at varied ranges will now earn the Yankees’ cash.
Some hires are already in place, whereas others, in the appropriate spot on the proper time, have been in a position to get promotions. Nonetheless, after so many exits, Reese likened the state of affairs to shedding gamers by way of trades and free company.
“Now,” he stated, “we just gotta rebuild.”
