The Yankees are engineering a change in their bench coach position, according to Sweeny Murti if WFAN (Twitter link). Carlos Mendoza will slide over from his infield coach role to take over for Josh Bard, who has been relieved of his duties.
In other news involving the staff under manager Aaron Boone, the Yankees are expected to bring on Matt Blake as pitching coach and Tanner Swanson as catching coach. Both hirings were previously reported; ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reported Blake’s addition (Twitter link), as we previously covered, while Brandon Warne of Zone Coverage tweeted that Swanson was hired away from the Twins.
Mendoza had worked in his prior role for the past two seasons and obviously impressed the organization. The 39-year-old never cracked the majors as a player but now seems in line for a lengthier tenure as a coach. Bard initially stepped into the bench coach role at the same time Mendoza and Boone first joined the Yankees. The former big-league backstop previously spent time with the Dodgers organization, including one campaign as bullpen coach, after the end of his playing career.
The rest of the staff will remain in the same positions, it seems. Mike Harkey will return as bullpen coach, Phil Nevin and Reggie Willits stay on as third and first base coach, respectively, while Marcus Thames will come back as hitting coach (reports Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). It isn’t clear if the organization will bring in a new infield instructor to take over the role vacated by Mendoza.
Is Mendoza replacing the guy who didn’t pin Boone to the wall and scream “MARISNICK’S ON DECK! DON’T PITCH TO ALTUVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!” during Game 6?
If so, I like it.
Boone is a sorry excuse for a manager.
2 years.
206 wins.
Record for injuries.
Maybe give the newb a longer leash.
Give Cashman the credit not Boone. Cashman made amazing decisions, definitely not Boone.
Well, as 103 win seasons go, it was pretty unproductive. Cashman likes to promote it as a successful season, but it wasn’t. Not for a Yankees team that hasn’t won a WS in a decade. And Cash was part of the reason why. He gambled at the trade deadline and stepped away from every deal out there as being too expensive (as if fans haven’t given Hal the money to spend), and as a result he gambled away home field advantage in September and the ALCS in October. With the record-setting scope of injuries, it was amazing the team got as a far as it did, especially considering Hal/Cashman’s lack of determination at the trade deadline. But I place the credit for that squarely on the backs of players like Urshela and Tauchman, the next men up, who stepped up in tremendous ways. I don’t give that credit to the management.
Yeah, the manager deserves no credit whatsoever. Idiot
No, he doesn’t. In fact he cost them a lot of games mismanaging the pitchers. Bringing starters back in who were notorious for not being able to pitch the third time through the order, only to have them blow up and lose the lead in the 6th time and time again. Giving 100 IP to pitchers with ERA’s north of 6, including Chance Adams at 8.53.
Give the credit to the guys who performed way beyond any reasonable expectations and literally carried the team for long stretches of the season. That’s where it belongs..
Bonehead (MZ311)
But it is supposed to be about winning championships and when the pressure is on Boone has not impressed
You’re far to clueless to refer to anyone as bonehead.
Yup exactly right. Players won despite having to fight their own managers move. Horrible lineups. Horrible pitching decisions. Boone is trash
Hey Mo-or Bo. Are you perfect,Mr. Arm
Chair Manager? Get with the program. If you can’t take the disappointment of this season move onto another team.
Fans Like you give Yankee fans a bad reputation of being a crybaby.
And nightmare, since you don’t know how to spell, did your wife give you your name?
Wah, Wah the Yankees should have won every game. All of their losses prove that Boone was a terrible manager.
NOT
He was the guy that they busted their butt for all season long. He created the clubhouse atmosphere for Next Man Up and the players bought into it.
If you can’t accept it move over to Flushing.
Yea.
Is Mendoza going to teach Yankee hitters how to get clutch hits against playoff caliber pitching staffs? If not, this move means nothing.
Doesn’t matter, because the Yankees will miss the playoffs in 2020.
They will probably not make it into the W.S. but they will definitely make it into the playoffs.
Must be a lowlife Red Sox fan.
Is there any other kind?
Yes…A lowlife Mets fan.
Someone better teach the Astros to do the same. They had some really bad stats also, they just got luckier
Unless this guy can teach the umps to call an accurate zone and not one that perennially kills the Yankees, it’s not going to be a team issues.
Lol cry more
Lol use baseball savant
Wait southpaw – coaches have magical abilities?
Bard going back to LA as bullpen coach now with Mark Prior taking pitching coach job?
Mendozaaaaaaa!!!!
Dang ya beat me to it!
Bard was not a great hire in the first place. The next coach that should go is Nevin. Boone needs a quality and experienced staff to offset the time of his apprenticeship.
I want a bench coach with some experience to help guide the ship. Boone has never struck me as being a tactician and is still learning on the job. Dusty Baker, Eric Wedge, heck even Buck Showalter would be good to help hold down the fort and
Agreed!
Can’t imagine Buck, who’s ego is only the Saturn to Bobby Valentine’s Jupiter, would ever fathom taking a second fiddle job especially in such a huge market.
And the Yankees aren’t going to rehire Showalter unless he renames himself Billy Martin.
He has an ego if he will not be second to Boone? Why would a manager like Buck be interested in any bench coach position
PinstripedPride I doubt Showalter or Baker coach again as anything less then managers at this point.
Seems to me they are replacing everyone around Boone, and he must know he’s next!
Or Boone wanted a new support staff. Back-to-back 100 win seasons says otherwise. The playoffs are a crapshoot.
The playoffs are a bigger crapshoot with Boone as manager than someone who actually knows what he is doing.
@pasha2k
With 2 100+ win seasons to start his managerial career, I don’t think the Yankees will be firing him anytime soon. Just a hunch though.
To come up with 100 wins your first 2 seasons and take a team riddled with injuries that bulldozed over the defending champs (who essentially returned their roster) to the ALCS says he did something right as a manager. Granted guys stepped up and he definitely made mistakes but you have to assume his job is safe… for now. Another season or two without a ring might be a different story but you can’t really think Boone should be fired after this year.
At least he’s not the hitting coach
Well, well. Now there’s a line waiting to talk to the bench coach. Hmm.
Who gets to the World Series first. Girardi and the Phillies or Boone and the Yankees?
Lou Brown and the tribe
A lengthier tenure than zero games in the majors? He can check that box on opening day I guess.
Funny, the one “coach/manager” they should get rid of is still there. Boone.