The Yankees are making two in-house promotions to their big league coaching ranks, The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler reports. Dillon Lawson will become the team’s new hitting coach, after previously working as a minor league hitting coordinator. In addition, Desi Druschel will go from being the team’s minor league manager of pitch development to an assistant pitching coach role on Aaron Boone’s staff.
New York GM Brian Cashman said earlier this offseason that the club was planning to have three pitching and hitting coaches each in place for 2022, in order to better reflect how other teams have expanded and broadened coaching responsibilities beyond the traditional duties. Druschel joins Matt Blake and Mike Harkey on the pitching side, while Lawson will have two assistant hitting coaches that have yet to be hired. After the season, the Yankees didn’t retain former hitting coaches Marcus Thames or P.J. Pilittere.
Lawson worked as a hitting coach at the University Of Missouri and in the Astros’ farm system before he joined the Yankees three years ago. Since Lawson’s initial contract was up this winter, the promotion could be a way of keeping him in the fold, as Adler noted that there was some feeling other teams would try and hire Lawson away.
Despite all of the big names in New York’s lineup, the Bronx Bombers lacked some of their usual pop in 2021, finishing 17th of 30 teams in slugging percentage, 19th in runs scored, and 23rd in batting average. Only five teams had a worse collective strikeout rate than the Yankees’ collective 24.5% mark, as the team was often criticized for relying too much on a “three true outcomes” style. New York’s lineup also was, and still is, heavy on right-handed bats, making it somewhat easier for rival teams to construct gameplans. Aside from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, pretty much the entire Yankee lineup underachieved last year, so Lawson and his assistants will have plenty of work to do in getting those hitters back on track.
Druschel joined the Yankees in 2019 after a long stint at the University Of Iowa. Druschel worked as Iowa’s director of baseball operations, and also worked three years as the team’s pitching coach.
Hopefully these new hitting coaches can bring the Yankees hitters to have a more balanced approach at the plate. More balls put in play, more singles and doubles, and a little less home run happy batters. I mean, the dynasty Yanks of ’96, ’98, ’99, and 2000 all had some home run power, but were mostly a RBI machine and contact hitting team. I think if the Yankees try to adopt that hitting style more, they’ll go farther than they had in the playoffs the last couple of years(if they make it, of course).
“the dynasty Yanks of ’96, ’98, ’99, and 2000”
I don’t think you want your current players doing what those players were doing, my friend.
You mean win championships?
No, he was making a reference to the 22 Yankees players who were on those rosters that were accused of taking PEDs, according to the Mitchell Reports.
Yes, those championships are as tainted as the 2017 Astros one.
No, no they are not. By that flawed logic, every championship from the 1980’s to the 2010’s is flawed.. Do better next time.
I kinda meant their approaches at the plate.
But yeah, they shouldn’t replicate that.
Did you know, hopefully sitting down, that a couple of players on each roster is NOT the equivalent of a systemic cheating scandal including coaches/players/ people in outfield and camera systems?
@ColoredPaper
Not even close. Selig and Feher both turned a blind eye to rampant juicing that pervaded the league. And that’s not even taking into account the pervasive use of amphetamines. Every juicer on every team was playing against other juicers. There wasn’t a clean team in the league. Additionally, the Mitchell Report was a joke. Mitchell was a member of the Red Sox board of directors tapped by Selig for that sham investigation. Both Papi and Manny failed the 2003 survey test but neither showed up in the report.
What’s more, with few exceptions, juicing was an individual violation. In the case of the Astros, their electronic sign-stealing was a team-wide scheme that got the manager and GM suspended and fired. Apples and oranges.
People have to get over the PED’s. 50% of baseball were doing PED’s back then. Are we going to take away Boston’s championships because Manny and Ortiz were users? Do we take away Arizona’s World Series bc Luis Gonzalez got the game winning hit and he was juicing? Are the Cardinals World Series tainted bc they had a bunch of known users on their team? Where does it end?
It’s funny how people react. I don’t personally care if players use PEDs, but most fans do. I don’t think any championship is “tainted,” including the Astros. However, it is funny to see all the Yankee fans who hate on the Astros get so triggered when other people do the same to them.
Actually, the 2003 survey test is a sham unless you have the entire list. Telling me that someone is on the list? No. Every name or no names, those are the only two options.
@Chipper Jones’ illegitimate kid
Except they’re not “doing the same” when they compare a team-wide electronic sign-stealing scheme to some individual players allegedly juicing.
I think the BBWAA, who were in the forefront cheering on “the home run race that saved baseball,” need to stop being phony born-again purists and acknowledge that the league was awash in drugs and probably still is, and barring from the Hall of Fame a handful of players who got caught or were only accused without evidence is a farce. If they want to cordon off a “Steroids Era” the way they distinguish the eras before and after the legal spitball, then they should do that. But making a few players scapegoats only perpetuates the Commissioner’s lie that only a few players were using.
That was a bogus report. It didn’t mention anyone other then the Yankees and a few more. Didn’t mention of the red Sox oh by the way Mitchell owned part of the Red Sox and it was 22 players. Didn’t mention piazza or any national league players bogus report
Take it up with Frank Thomas.
As early as 1995, Thomas was advocating drug testing for professional baseball players. After hitting his 500th career home run in 2007, Thomas stated, “It means a lot to me because I did it the right way”, alluding to Barry Bonds’s then-ongoing pursuit of Hank Aaron’s career home run record. Thomas was, then, the only active baseball player to be interviewed during the preparation of the Mitchell Report. He did so voluntarily.
Thomas has been critical of the election of certain players to the Hall of Fame who, he has said, “we all know” used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Thomas said he was “not happy” about the 2017 election of Jeff Bagwell and Iván Rodríguez who, he said, “it’s no secret” used PEDs.
In a 2018 interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Thomas complained that his “career was stepped on” by competitors who used PEDs and “was the most hurt” of any players in that era.
Can Druschel or Lawson play shortstop the way Cory Seager could? If the Yankees sign Correa, I will puke. I don’t want him anywhere near the Yankees. I’m alright with Correa going to the Dodgers or the Braves.
Nonsense. There was ONE primary source for the Mitchell report, which was a Yankees clubhouse worker. Hence, the Mitchell report focused virtually ONLY on the Yankees. The justification was that this report wasn’t really about the Yankees, but just illustrative of what was going on with every club. Was this unfair to the Yankees? Mitchell was on the board of the Red Sox, so one can’t accuse him of being objective.
They’re just waiting for Rob Refsnyder to retire; then they can name him to coach.
Can’t they have both? Player/coach?? 🙂
Lawson actually is the logical addition and choice. The Yankees saw very good results across their minors on the hitting front in 2021, including breakouts from Volpe and Peraza, with much attributed to the work Lawson did in incorporating greater data and analytics. It was reported that the Yankees did not believe their MLB hitting coaches had embraced the new approaches as easily as the minors did. That pretty much guaranteed Lawson was going to be the guy. So, yes, he would have been hired away, but he was also the guy they wanted.
Lawson has a Youtube video entitled: “Building a data-driven swing.”
I’m reminded of what three-time MVP Yogi Berra said:
“You can’t think and hit at the same time.”
That was Jeter’s approach too. See ball, hit ball.
Very few players can “see ball, hit ball.” It’s like telling your basketball players to just do what Jordan does.
Also a “data driven-swing” doesn’t require any more thinking than any other swing. If I tell you, “swing like this” you don’t have to think. If that was based on data or what the voices in my head told me, it wouldn’t force you to think anymore than you were.
‘Very few players can “see ball, hit ball.”’
You know this how?
Believe it or not, some people in this comment section played competitive baseball.
That doesn’t answer how you know that very few players can see the ball and hit it. How many of the 1,200 MLB players on 40-man rosters have you interviewed? If you couldn’t do it when you played, that has no bearing on what other players can or can’t do.
I’ve personally interview 978 MLB players.
But seriously. Just think about it for 2 seconds. If hitting was as easy as “see ball, hit ball,” why would teams need hitting coaches?
@Mr. Person Don’t bother with logic and reasoning with @Chipper. He’ll just respond with some strawman argument to deflect. I wonder what hitters did before video became prevalent. That’s right: See ball, hit ball.
What logic and reasoning is he providing? He is just saying “nuh uh.” The only person trying to deflect the argument is Mr. Person as he is trying to discredit my opinion based on some appeal to authority (or lack there of) rather than actually address it.
You do not need video to have a more advanced approach at the plate. People have had more nuanced hitting approaches for years.
@Chipper Jones’ illegitimate kid
No, you’re presenting an assumption in lieu of evidence and pretending it’s an established fact.
What could I reasonably provide you to support the general consensus of players and coaches that I have talked to that you wouldn’t immediately discredit?
“Players and coaches that I have talked to” hardly rises to a proof of the statement you made: ‘Very few players can “see ball, hit ball.”’
That’s like saying “nobody likes that TV show,” and when I ask how you know that, you answer, “I don’t like it and none of my friends do.” Nielsen can give me a reasonable answer to that question based on research. What you and the comparatively few people you consult might think about it doesn’t amount to a proof.
youtu.be/AZH40OU-PN4
Here is Derek Jeter himself giving a very surface level breakdown of his approach. Not “see ball, hit ball” at all. I notice you aren’t running down lord99 as to why they are stating things as facts with no evidence.
I obviously cannot get this on literally every player, but just use your brain for 2 seconds. Hitting is so unbelievable hard, that if “see ball, hit ball” was the something that most players could do, why would you need hitting coaches? Why would approach at the plate be something guys spent hundreds of hours preparing? Pitchers are freaking nasty. To think all a guy has to do is “see ball, hit ball” is so incredibly insulting to each of them.
Oh, I don’t think Pete Rose was trying to insult anybody when he described his approach to hitting as “See ball, hit ball.”
‘Mr. Rose, you often talked about your approach to hitting and overall hitting philosophy being “see ball”, “hit ball”. Now, we all know pitchers are creatures of habit. How often did you anticipate what the pitcher was throwing based on whether he was tipping pitches?’
‘I only noticed when a pitcher was tipping his pitches in a game one time. One guy. One specific pitcher and I told him about it because I liked him. …
‘I didn’t want to know what pitch was coming to be honest with you…
I never wanted to know. If my teammate was on second, I didn’t want him telling me what’s coming. I didn’t want to know because I wanted to make adjustments during the pitch…but then again, I had a big advantage. I was a switch hitter.
‘Now, you tell Johnny Bench what was coming, he’d hit that damn thing out of Yellowstone Park. If he knew what was coming, there ain’t a ballpark could hold Johnny. He liked knowing what pitch was coming down the shoot.
‘I didn’t. He tried to figure out things like that.
‘See, some guys are what we call guess hitters. And it’s okay to guess. But my philosophy on hitting was I always looked for the pitcher’s hardest pitch.’
– Pete Rose interview at Applied Vision Baseball
What does “see ball, hit ball” mean to you?
I think it’s different for different hitters. But I think Yogi’s approach, like Pete’s, was to clear his mind and focus entirely on seeing the ball and letting muscle memory do the rest; i.e., his body knew how to hit, he didn’t need to consciously tell it what to do.
There’s a book called “Zen In the Art of Archery” written by a German professor who studied the art under a master archer in Japan. The master’s entire instruction consisted in trying to teach him how NOT to aim. This frustrated the hell out of the professor. The master told him (paraphrasing here) “You don’t shoot — it shoots.” The purpose of the training was to get the pupil in touch with the “it” inside himself beyond linear thinking, an indefinable “something” that could shoot effortlessly.
When the German impulsively challenged the idea, the master told him to come back later that night. They met on the archery range in almost complete darkness with only a single narrow taper lit in the sand under the target. The master drew his bow and fired an arrow into the darkness. The professor couldn’t see it but could tell from the sound that it hit the target. The master fired another arrow, and then the professor turned the light on in the target-stand and was astonished to see that the second arrow had split the first.
I think great hitters who unclutter their minds have something in common with a Zen archer.
On the less mystical side, I think seeing is the most important conscious component of hitting. You can work on swing paths till the cows come home, but if you can’t see, you’re going to have trouble hitting. Mantle said that when he was on a home run tear, the ball looked the size of a grapefruit. Ducky Medwick said that when he was in a slump, it was like trying to hit an aspirin. A psychology professor who was also a competitive athlete did a formal experimental study and concluded that hitters actually perceived the ball to be larger or smaller when they were hitting well or struggling.
Edgar Martinez trained by writing numbers on balls and firing them out of a high-velocity pitching machine and reading the numbers in flight.
One of the great untold ironies in baseball might be that Mark McGwire was “disgraced” for nothing. It might not have been the PEDs that made him a great hitter as much as the lasik surgery that gave him super vision. Performance-enhancing surgery was perfectly legal.
So we aren’t even talking about the same thing. “See ball, hit ball” refers to the hitting approach of essentially having no approach. To not look for certain pitches in certain counts. Not looking for certain locations. Not trying to eliminate pitches to give yourself a better chance of timing the baseball. No trying to pick up spin or anything like that. Just looking for the ball and trying to hit it. It isn’t actually anything to do with “seeing” the ball better. Everyone has to see the ball. Everyone benefits from those things you posted.
It makes sense why you don’t understand why “see ball, hit ball” is not a reliable way to hit. Even the guys who claim to “see ball, hit ball” rarely use this approach. They just saying because it ends the interview.
You’re vastly oversimplifying the concept and paring out elements that are, in fact, part of the process.
I invite you to consider that the batter who made the phrase famous was among the greatest hitters who ever lived … and you’re saying it “is not a reliable way to hit.” It was reliable enough that a man who epitomized the approach had by far the most hits in the history of Major League baseball. It doesn’t get more reliable than that.
That said, it’s entirely possible that there are few who hit this way — or there could be many. But, back to the original point, neither you nor I know which is the case unless we research the issue credibly by taking a scientific poll of an adequate sample of hitters. Referring anecdotally to your personal experience and your limited circle of acquaintances doesn’t suffice.
But we’ve found a way to talk about baseball during a lockout, so there’s that. Have a great weekend.
Desi Druschel is a good baseball name. That’s usually more indicative of success than anything else.
I see Zooey Deschanel, then again, maybe I just have an obsession.
It’s the eyes, they get you every time
“New York GM Brian Cashman said earlier this offseason that the club was planning to have three pitching and hitting coaches each in place for 2022, in order to better reflect how other teams have expanded and broadened coaching responsibilities beyond the traditional duties.”
Translation: We are just going to copy what the other teams are doing. Zero original thought.
Seeing what works and copying it is one of the fundamental pillars to success.
Maybe you want the Yankees to try something out of the box like holding the bat with the other end?
You’re right, Cashman should go with zero hitting coaches
One of the most important things I’ve learned with my company is that there is absolutely No Shame is shamelessly ripping off my competitors.
For example: we now offer “green” retail lines insulating attics & installing residential solar power systems. They both make for a good opportunity at an upsale for my sales guys. I completely stole those from 2 different competitors. Completely: literature, approach, advertising, prices, certificatations, all of it. Bottom line: they have made us some $ over the past few years, & I didn’t think of *any* of it on my own. 0%.
Cash is undeniably one of MLB’s biggest rip off artists.
– When the ball was juicy, he bought all in. & it worked. Yanks paced the league in runs in ’19, finished 2nd in ’17 & ’18, 4th in ’20. Now he needs to remake the offense. I am completely certain he will make some strategical changes. Just watch.
– After seeing how KC rode a Big 3 bullpen endgame to a championship, he went all in on that, too. But that was tough to replicate. (Be interesting to see how it works out for CWS.) He has recently swapped out that template for the 6+ deep pens of the ’19-’21 A’s & Ray’s. Watching that particular transition leaves no doubt in my mind it was/is purposeful.
– I’ve been wondering when MLB coaching staffs were going to expand & become even more specialized like the NFL. It’s now happening & – once again – Cash is all over it.
Anyway.
No. He is not all that innovative. But he recognizes what works & incorporates those things into his ballclubs. Seems like an ill thought out criticism all the way around. But. You’re a mets fan. So.
Actually, he recognizes what other teams do. It doesn’t work, zero success rate in 12 years, and only one success (by roiding up the roster) in 21 years. And they’ve spent more money than anyone else for this paltry success rate.
But … I do agree that following good ideas to achieve success makes sense. Multiple coaches? Who knows? At some point, how many Guardians and how many Chiefs do you need?
Uh.
So the fact that they haven’t won a World Series in the last 12 years “proves” your point, uh? Let’s not gloss over the fact that 20+ other teams have experienced the same “failure”. Baseball is hard. Being a mets fan, I just assumed you had known that. My bad.
Having left The City quite awhile ago, I had forgotten how caught up in the Yanks you guys (insecure mets fans) are. Though I also wish to point out that your new GM (yeeesh…was he even in their top 40 candidates?) is a low budget Brian Cashman. Made his mark as one of Cash’s assistants.
I see you are recycling the “Yankees did all the steroids” take again. which was your go-to. Going to be a long winter around here at that rate. So boring, unoriginal, & thoroughly predictable (not to mention grossly inaccurate).
Puttin’ me to sleep, hoss.
Where the yankees fail is that they blow all their resources on winning during the regular season and then gasp for air in the postseason. They don’t cultivate their own players, they build a team of mercenaries. They blow out bullpen arms with unnecessary innings loads. They rely on one dimensional hitters that the typical postseason pitching staff can shut down.
The Red Sox had the Astros beat but the ump handed it back to them. Fine. The Astros were the better team. But the Braves tuned them up.
What will the yankees try to borrow from the Braves success? They made a bunch of astute in season moves that worked out. It’s a moving target, the recipe for success. The Braves had injuries, big time. They overcame them.
I really don’t think you can copy other teams. You have to be the best version of your team that is possible. And you have to embrace failure as much as success. You can lose a lot of games in the regular season. But you can’t lose very many in the postseason.
I don’t think the yankees have figured that out.
“What will the Yankees try to borrow from the Braves success?”
Got’im!
Very simple. It is what they have been doing with this core the entire time. Undermines most (all?) of your points too.
Ready?
It is: make the postseason & hope to get hot. Same thing the Dodgers are doing. & the sox.
Nope. You can’t “buy a pennant”. But if you do it right, a $200 mil payroll is going to give you more bites at the playoff pear. LAD spent $280MM just to secure a Wild Card. Why? Because: can’t win a title if ya ain’t in the tourney, bud. Your mets – incidentally – are attempting the same thing.
{polishes finger nails on lapel}
If you were a real turkey – not just a metaphorical one – you would now be in my freezer. I really can’t recall the last time I had a take turn out so well,so quickly, so easily. Walked right into it. & BAM!
Braves won 88 games. Yanks 92. One club got hot at the right time, the other didn’t. When we were on a roll, we pushed them all over the diamond. & that’s pretty much the deal right effin there.
So “getting hot” 1 time out of 21 years is the thing? I thought it was getting up off the ground and getting back in there. Every game, every inning, every out. I thought it was resiliency. That’s what I saw in the Braves.
Oh my God.
So much narrative. Such a lazy, lazy troll.
To be clear: the Braves won the series because they were – in essence – “mentally tougher” than 29 other teams? Man. You talk about all this baseball you’ve played. Doesn’t mean you ever played against/alongside anyone who is/was any good, I suppose.
Have you ever met someone who broke through to the next level? My guess is not. Look: every dude in an MLB locker room is indescribably mentally tough & “resilient”. Every one of them, bro.
Lord. It’s going to be a looooooooooooong winter here.
Ducky, is that Samuel’s alter ego account, by chance? Cover the name and read it again you’ll see what I mean.
I am talking more about team resiliency, not that of individual players. But not all players are resilient, hence the book The Inner Game of Baseball written by H A Dorfman, who worked with many professional baseball players. Ed Whitson? Chuck Knoblauch? Mackey Sasser? and on and on.
For the record, I played in the oldest amateur league in New Jersey, on a team sponsored by Dreiers Sporting Goods, a Plainfield legend. Our team was the best in the state of New Jersey one season during a three year run as league champions. We played a 36 game schedule and then the playoffs. The year we won the Tournament of Champions, every league in the state sent teams to the tournament.
Four of my teammates were drafted, one made it as high as AAA. They had far more talent than I could ever hope to have but they all admired my commitment to fitness. I was the oldest player on the team and the most fit, but nowhere near the best athlete. Hard work and the ability to throw a baseball really far and hard earned me a spot on the team.
Google Dreiers Sporting Goods. They were written up in Sports Illustrated when they closed their doors. It was an honor to play on their last sponsored team that was one of the best teams in the state.
Google William Doc Pollock baseball. We were teammates on teams after Dreiers. We sat next to each other on the bench and pitched in some of the same games. He was almost twenty years older than me and still played. Role model.
I might be obnoxious and ridiculous anti-yankee but I stand by my criticisms of the yankees. And I am impressed with what the Braves did.
Sorry if I come across as a total jerk, I’m still trying to not do that. Our discussions are a good exchange of conflicting opinions. The country needs to do that, discuss, not just dismiss. But you can dismiss me if you want, I won’t take it personally. As always, until we argue again, happy hunting.
@whyhayzee @ducky
This site is richer for both/all of your comments.
By the way I don’t ever agree with either of you but that isn’t the point.
Thanks for the Dreier’s rabbit hole – how are we going to explain to a grandson or great nephew what a sporting goods store smelled like?
Stay warm…
Thanks A’s fan. When I walked into Dreier’s, I was assisted by a guy named Ray Pope, a gem of a gentleman. He had managed the team in bygone years and had recruited a pitcher by the name of Joe Black in the 50’s and a catcher named Jeff Torborg a little later on. Not only was a sporting goods store a Mecca but you met wonderful people there. I grew up with a small local shop run by a former pro scout, a baseball lifer as well. Great guy, too.
Well, nothing else is going on for a while. Might as well dissect coaches.
It makes perfect sense to get your coaches in place early. That way, any potential free agent contemplating signing with the Yankees who may have respect and admiration for said coaches might be persuaded to sign on. This may explain the lack of adding to and improving the club. Another possible explanation might be that They’re waiting for the cash to post to their account so as not to bounce a check. I can only imagine that Yankee fans are frustrated by the lack of signings all the while excellent players are coming off the board. The work stoppage will be a pause, at least for a while.
Who cares about this now. I want bigger Yankees headlines. WTF is going on. Go get Showalter as Bench Coach
Carlos Mendoza is the bench coach. Wouldn’t you think he would’ve been fired by now if they had planned on replacing him? First you wanted Showalter as third base coach, now bench coach? What’s your infatuation with him?
Championship
Ive been assuming the increased analytical coaching trend is less about hitting the ball and more about which ball to hit. Just guessing, but as an avid Giants watcher, I’ve been thinking a lot of the hitting coaches work is about what hitters can expect from individual pitchers in certain counts. Better prepared in terms of what the data says is coming their way and when.
Ted Williams said simply, “Know your pitch.” If there was ever a genius baseball mind combined with a pure talent for hitting the baseball, he was it. No analytics required for someone on that level, but I think Ted would be into the analytics.
I get the impression it’s very detailed. Kapler is big on detail. Look at his perfectly manicured beard. Was asked recently what makes a good coach. Detail. And there’s a few of them so they have to be doing something. I figure they must be going deeper into the data and more often with the plans. Hence the whole team first thing at the Giants. The expectation is you put self aside and buy into those plans, every time.
Well that clinches it.
I forgot how well the prospects hit this year as many exceeded expectations. IF this guy is partially responsible that’s awesome news.
I don’t want to get ahead of myself but trying to imagine how glorious it would be to see Sanchez bat .212 and strikeout less than 150 times. Oh a fan can dream.
Cashman needs to get his stat geeks in there. Can already see them in the dugout in their suits and ties.
The dudes that grinded away as baseball ops guys, juco guys, college guys, minor league coaches etc wearing suits lmao. You crack me up. Because they can individualize a plan, understand number, and stuff and stuffs lmao
Big moves! We scared!