Dillon Lawson has found a new job.
The Yankees’ former hitting coach is joining the rival Red Sox as a hitting coordinator, according to The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty. Lawson will focus on the upper levels of Boston’s minor league system.
Lawson took over as the Yankees’ major league hitting coach in time for the 2022 season. However, he was canned when the first half ended last summer, as Brian Cashman made him the first in-season coaching firing of his general managerial career. The Yankees’ offense had been struggling for some time, and Lawson had failed to connect with the team’s veteran — and underachieving — hitters.
At the GM Meetings earlier this offseason, Cashman directly said that Lawson lost his job due to a “lack of connectivity with our major league players.”
“Major league players at the big-league level, that’s like lions and tigers and bears, oh my,” Cashman added. “On the minor-league side, there’s a lot more control. That’s like a petting zoo.”
While Cashman was critical of Lawson’s voice in the big leagues, he did praise the work the coach did in the Yankees’ farm system. Before becoming a major league coach, Lawson had been the organization’s minor league hitting coordinator. He started that job in 2018.
Now Lawson will fill a similar role in Boston as he works with hitters that the Yankees could see down the road.
The Yankees, meanwhile, still have some uncertainty with their hitting staff.
James Rowson has replaced Sean Casey — who replaced Lawson midseason — as the team’s hitting coach. Assistant hitting coach Casey Dykes has been retained by Rowson. However, it remains to be seen if the Yankees will also keep Brad Wilkerson, another assistant who has major league playing experience, unlike Rowson and Dykes.
Rowson has been a major and minor league hitting coach for years. He served two stints as the Yankees’ minor league hitting coordinator and also held a bench coach job in Miami.
“I try to stay away from the thought of a philosophy,” Rowson said after returning to the Yankees earlier this offseason. “I think when you put yourself down that track, what you end up doing is trying to get everyone to fall in line with a specific way of doing things. I don’t think you reach the masses that way.”
TREVINO READY FOR SPRING
Jose Trevino is trending in the right direction, the catcher told the YES Network’s Bob Lorenz on Monday.
Trevino’s 2023 season ended shortly after the second half began, as he needed surgery on his right wrist. Now, however, he is feeling healthy and expects to be ready for spring training.
“I’m feeling very good,” Trevino said. “I’m excited. I missed a lot of time playing baseball, so I’m getting the itch already, and we’re not even at Christmas yet. I’m excited to get down to Florida, get going.”
Trevino projects as the Yankees’ Opening Day catcher with Gerrit Cole likely to get the team’s first start on the mound. Austin Wells figures to share time with Trevino behind the plate after a strong debut last season, but Ben Rortvedt and Carlos Narvaez, among others, could also factor into the Yankees’ catching equation.
“Trevi’s doing great,” Aaron Boone said at the Winter Meetings. “The loss of him last year was enormous for us. I don’t want to understate how important I think Jose is to our team and to our clubhouse — what a force he is in our room — and we missed that.”
A CARPENTER COMEBACK?
It’s been a busy few days for former Yankee Matt Carpenter, as he was traded from the Padres to the Braves before Atlanta released him on Monday.
The lefty-swinging designated hitter was awful for San Diego in 2023, hitting .176/.322/.319 with five home runs and 31 RBI over 76 games. It was a far cry from what the 38-year-old did in pinstripes in 2022.
Carpenter enjoyed a resurgent season that year, slashing .305/.412/.727 with 15 homers and 37 RBI in 47 games before breaking his foot. He was so good for the Yankees that some have wondered if a reunion should happen.
The answer is no, for a few reasons. For one, Carpenter offers little value in the field at this stage of his career. And outside of 2022, he’s been a below-average hitter since 2019. His metrics, including average exit velocity, xwOBA and Hard-Hit%, declined significantly between 2022 and 2023.
Carpenter had an unforgettable run with the Yanks two seasons ago, but it’s hard to see him fitting the current roster.
