The Yankees have offered James Rowson the job of hitting coach on Aaron Boone’s staff, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. He is expected to accept the position.
Rowson spent six years as a minor league hitting coordinator in the Yankees organization before leaving for the Cubs in 2012, where he briefly took over as the major league hitting coach. After two years in Chicago, he returned to New York and resumed his previous role. Notably, he presided over the minor league system while Aaron Judge rose through the ranks from 2014-16. Rowson left for greener pastures again in 2017, spending the next year three years as hitting coach for the Twins. After that, he was the Marlins bench coach from 2020-22, and most recently, the 47-year-old spent the 2023 campaign as the assistant hitting coach for the Tigers.
Given his years of experience with the Yankees and his time as a hitting coach around the league, Rowson seems like a perfectly qualified and logical hire. Indeed, he makes particular sense considering the Yankees are looking for a hitting coach who can implement a “top-down” approach throughout the organization (per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic). In other words, the team is looking for someone who can develop certain universal practices and philosophies and spread those across all levels of the minor league system. Who better for such a task than the team’s long-time minor league hitting coordinator?
That said, Rowson represents a complete 180-degree turn from Sean Casey, the hitting coach he will be replacing. Casey took the job with no previous coaching experience but significant playing experience; across 12 MLB seasons, he hit .302 with an .814 OPS in over 5,000 career plate appearances. According to Kuty, the Yankees liked Casey for his on-field experience, and indeed, they’re looking for a similarly experienced candidate to replace newly-hired Mets manager Carlos Mendoza as bench coach. Rowson never made it to the major leagues, playing just three seasons in the low minors and one in the independent Heartland League. His experience comes from the dugout, not the batter’s box.
Should Rowson accept the job, he will become the Yankees’ fourth hitting coach in as many years. Marcus Thames, the White Sox’s new hitting coach, had the job until 2021, while Dillon Lawson took over in 2022 and held the role until he was unceremoniously fired ahead of the All-Star Break this past season. Casey replaced Lawson for the remainder of the 2023 campaign, but he stepped down this winter to spend more time with his daughters.
In other Yankees news, the team is reportedly considering bringing back Frankie Montas for another go in 2024, per Sherman and Jon Heyman of the New York Post. While his tenure with New York was marred by injury, Montas was an effective starting pitcher during his time in Oakland, pitching to a 3.50 ERA in 89 career starts for the Athletics. Montas could represent an intriguing buy-low candidate for the Yankees, especially since the team is already familiar with his stuff and medical status.
Captain-Judge99
Still hoping the Yankees hire David Ross to be the next bench coach, thinking that won’t happen, since he’s definitely manager material. Ross shouldn’t have a problem getting another job. Good baseball man.
Joe says...
I’m not opposed to Ross but they already have Luis Rojas as the third base coach. He could easily move to bench coach. Rojas is supposedly well respected and he has several years of managing experience even if it was at AAA.
DaddyDann
World Series here we comeeee
TrillionaireTeamOperator
If he accepts the position, it seems like a high upside hire- it can’t get any worse- and it seems like a prescient move to bring in a guy that helped develop Judge, that maybe is one of the reasons some Yankees prospects were hitting better in the minors than after they get called up to the majors- and to course correct the seemingly endless issues with prospects being virtually worthless offensively once they reach the majors within the Yankees organization.
And yeah, on a one year deal if Montas is back to full health- why not?
Gwynning
Good post, and regarding Montas- I feel the same for my Pads.
dasit
looks good on paper, but can he tap the unlimited potential of jake bauers?
TrillionaireTeamOperator
I mean- why not? Bauers is the rare Quadruple-A player that shows enough pop and consistency that multiple teams have hoped they could fix him at the major league level, so why not a minor league coach to bring him over that line.
HatlessPete
Many organizations have tried to harness the Bauers my friend. But he is a mirage, an enigma, a wild stallion not made to be tamed. One does not simply tap into the bauers one merely accepts the dingers with gratitude when he pauses in his wanderings to play upon your roster!
YankeesBleacherCreature
Cashman (later today): We realized we became a little too reliant on analytics on the hitting side so we believe James’ experience and approach can help us balance out the use of data and fundamentals especially with our younger players. We want to continue to carry the same philosophies which made them successful as they came up through our minor league system.
dasit
i award him no points, and may god have mercy on his soul
Joe says...
That about sums it up YBC
Slider_withcheese
Players are hiring their own hitting coaches these days. The ones team hire just screw up what the player worked on all winter.
mlb fan
The “swing and miss” New York Yankees bring in an analytics firm, to examine their over-reliance on analytics. Priceless.
Mrivers
LOL.. So right.
What a mess.
whyhayzee
“Rowson left for greener pastures again in 2017“
Welcome to scorched earth pal.
Viveleempireevil
The Minnesota Twinkies are “greener pastures”? Wow!
Baseball dude
Greener pastures, cleaner air, and a division winner in 2023 !!!
the guru
Sean Casey being the hitting coach was comical. Still can’t believe they hired him…..out of touch club. Rowson joining would be a mistake on his part considering the whole yankees staff will likely be gone this next yr.
LordD99
Feels a bit like doubling down on the existing process that Lawson implemented and Rowson probably was a part of. That may not be bad if Rowson can connect better with the players.
Mrivers
It will be bad unless they acquire better talent.
smrtbusnisman04a
BRING BACK DONNIE BASEBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!
Old York
Get rid of the hitting and pitching coach and have players hire their own coaches.
Endar Malkovich
Has anyone heard Cashman and Hal address the media today? They are the problem. They will not change and the only hope is for true yankee fans to stop buying tickets, merch and watching games. It will take 1-2 full years of a revolt and boycott until it hits Hal financially and he sells the team. I’ve said before and I’ll say it again. Hal Steinbrenner is the problem.
MacGromit
@Endar
This will happen about the same time the team decides to move to Jersey.
Nevaa gonna happin’
ArianaGrandSlam
The top-down approach? You mean like the military? Let’s who can last under that.