Yankees’ hitting coach Sean Casey will not be returning for the 2024 season due to family reasons, as he himself announced on his podcast. Joel Sherman of The New York Post was among those to relay the news. “I’m not gonna be able to come back next year,” Casey said, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, “because I have my two daughters at home. I think getting divorced a few years ago — I have those girls 50 percent of the time. I just can’t imagine being away for 8 months.” He also said, per Greg Joyce of The New York Post, “There was no offer made, but I do think I could have come back had I wanted to. That time right now is not perfect for me. We’ll see what happens in the next few years here.”
The Yankees began 2023 with Dillon Lawson as their hitting coach and struggled offensively, producing a team-wide batting line of .227/.304/.397 for the year. That amounts to a wRC+ of 94, indicating they were 6% worse than league average. It’s always tough to figure out how much credit or blame should go to a hitting coach or the players themselves. The 2023 Yankees had one of the best hitters in the world in Aaron Judge but also gave plenty of plate appearances to less-heralded journeymen like Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Jake Bauers, Willie Calhoun and Billy McKinney, as well as rookies like Anthony Volpe.
Whether Lawson had any hand in those struggles is difficult to tell but Yanks evidently felt a change was necessary, as Lawson was fired in July and replaced by Casey. The team had a wRC+ of 96 prior to that move and a 92 wRC+ after, but again, it’s tough to reach conclusions about the impact of the hitting coach in such numbers. The Yankees faded from contention and gave a lot of their late-season playing time to unproven younger players.
The Yankees will now have to find a new hitting coach for the 2024 season. As for Casey, it seems he is leaving the door open for future coaching gigs as his family situation evolves. He played in the big leagues from 1997 to 2008 but his stint with the Yankees this year was his first coaching job.
I know he turned them around a bit, but I don’t think he was the miracle answer. I am guessing there are other options. I wonder if he was actually let go, or asked for too much money, or if he actually just wanted to be closer to and spend more time with his family.
Isn’t there some controversial reason why they won’t hire Judge’s personal hitting coach, but Judge prefers the guy and he gets results?
If the Yankees hired the guy and their team’s overall averages improved by 50 points each and they got on base more, walked more, struck out less, etc… I mean seriously why don’t they hire that guy?
There is no miracle answer when it comes to hitting coaches. No coach can single-handedly turn a roster around.
Wiff – The good ones can, ie: Charley Lau
I thought of Rick Downs. Absolute legend.
Don Baylor comes to mind too
If Baylor was alive that would be a top choice.
I’m sure another opportunity will present itself for Casey. No worries.
And his old TV job at MLB network is waiting.
Some believe that Kevin Long can FWIW…
Especially in just a few months.
Idk about hitting, but Mike Maddux and Dave Duncan are/were second to none with a pitching staff?
Aaron Judge’s hitting coach has a crap ton of clients, middle schoolers to high schoolers to college kids to pros, from softball to baseball players, he’s making more money right now than the Yankees would ever offer him.
I’ve been following him on YouTube for the last couple years, and he just seems like his own kind of man. I highly doubt he’d ever solely work for any one organization. Not to mention, I think he truly enjoys working with all levels of players, and I’d imagine he wouldn’t be able to do that if he had to travel with a team for the majority of the year.
I would love to see how he’d work out as a hitting coach for an entire team, and to see what kind of results he’d get. He’s an absolute genius when it comes to breaking down your swing, and fine tuning all the components of a swing.
I also know he isn’t for everyone. Apparently, there’s a large group of hitting instructors or baseball people that think he’s a hack and teaches hitters the wrong techniques. I don’t see it, I think they’re full of crap, and it is probably because he makes them look bad. Plus, I imagine they probably aren’t too happy that he gives out a ton of free advice and demonstrates drills for parents and coaches to help their players..
All I know is after I started teaching my little leaguers using solely his techniques and his drills our collective team batting average jumped almost .200 points. Given it wasn’t very high to begin with, and considering the randomness of little league and whatnot those results aren’t solid proof or anything, BUT from my interactions with them and from just watching them they just looked way more comfortable and confident..I didn’t need any numbers to see that, and that alone is a major W.
The Mayor won’t be re-elected
The ex mayor going to prison…
Ray – With the Red Sox he was known as Mayor McHighCheese.
A career .300 hitter who never struck out more than 88 times in a year doesn’t want to return and help a lineup full of hitters who bat in the low .200s and strike out numerous times a game? Imagine my shock. Good for him for choosing family instead of that headache.
Yankees have spent years coddling billion dollar superstars and bringing in low average, high power hitters who are now aging. And they’re paying the price.
Yup, and the owner is content apparently with that.
You make two points, but only one of them is real. He would be back without the family matter.
Maybe, unless they allowed him to say that to save face.
U sure ur not a catter instead of a hatter? Suits you more…
They had a hitting coach?
Yes, his name was Sean Casey. Did you bother to read the article?
Just a little bit of it. I have things to do.
But not enough things to do to not come back and read responses and reply….? Hmmm hope that deep sexy voice works for you, cause lying is NOT your day job
Yankees and hitting have mostly been synonymous throughout their history.
Not so much this year.
Giancarlo Stanton is an albatross.
LeMahieu is down trending at 35 years old.
Rizzo can’t stay healthy and is 33.
Judge is Judge when he’s healthy.
Volpe is a rook and hopefully will hit better next year.
The rest of the lineup is pretty unremarkable.
Yanks in for some lean years?
Doesn’t matter how great of a coach you are…….if you have inferior talent AND flawed organizational philosophies. Enough obsessing on launch angle and analytics…..get back to baseball 101!!
Casey seemed like he could have been a good coach, but he also needs to be put in the time. Doesn’t seem his current life situation will allow.
He did help get LeMahieu back on track and the vets connected with him, so that’s something they should look for in who ever replaces him. He didn’t work any miracles while he was there, but he’s probably be a better choice than many to work with the prospects they just called up.
If memory serves, Casey wasn’t the hitting coach for the entire season either
Your memory must be pretty bad since it says that in the article. Maybe try Prevagin (or reading the piece).
Can’t be that bad, after all, their memory did serve them correctly.
Mighty Casey has struck out.
Can’t blame Casey for the Yankee injuries and questionable front office decision making.
And for the fact that he had a family the whole time and is only now using it now as an excuse that they likely canned him.
You can’t fire someone who isn’t under contract.
Also could have realized after being gone for half the season that not seeing his daughters didn’t sit well with him. I applaud him for his decision. I think we all know how much he loves the game, so this was probably tough for him to decide. Daughters are great!!
Yeah, that’s the reason why. Okay
“Family reasons” really means he didn’t want to deal with the nerds (analytics dept) who are truly running the Yanks into the ground
Family reasons means he didn’t want to interview with Boston.
Predicted this. Retired players without coaching experience often do not enjoy the grind of becoming a hitting coach – requires a lot of hours pre and post game.
Especially the good/great former hitters. They can’t grasp why it doesn’t come to these guys like it did for them and why some players didn’t work as hard at it as they did.
The Yankees offense was actually worse after Casey took over, so probably better for them
Might have to also do with the fact that Aaron Judge was absent for almost three weeks after Casey was hired on July 11th.
Bottom 8 in MLB in Runs scored, On Base %, Slugging %, OPS and Batting Average. Thats a bigger issue than just missing Aaron Judge for a few weeks
Well said moonlight.
If it’s high let it fly if it’s low let it go.
YOURE HIRED!
Simply as that
None of the youngsters can hit. Not his fault they’re either not good or past their prime
Hal Steinbrenner is a bum. He has ruined this team. Just sell it to someone who knows what they’re doing
The Yankees don’t need hitting coaches as much as they need wheel chairs, gurneys and wheel barrows.
True. Not even the mayor can get high-priced talent to play on a stubbed toe. Yeow! Now where’s my check…
His divorce and 50% custody of 2 daughters took place “years ago”. He cannot imagine being away from that setup for 8 months. I find it thoroughly admirable if true.
If true. How is that particular setup different today from the setup on the day he signed up with the Yankees? It isn’t.
Thus his reason for quitting is BS. Ipso facto bullpuppio.
Casey, in his day, was a better hitter than everyone on the NYY not named Judge. Good luck to him.
at this point just put a jobu doll in stanton’s locker and cross your fingers
Nutting couldn’t stretch a dollar better than hiring Casey and then having him do interviews, PR, etc.
Send Boone with him!
Could it have anything to do with NY being a pit to live in?
Gotta respect the decision. Family first.
Don Mattingly has entered the chat
More ego satisfaction and $$$ being on TV.