SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Yankees have a ton of holes to fill this offseason, including at least two vacancies on Aaron Boone’s coaching staff.
The team is reportedly close to hiring Tigers assistant James Rowson as its new hitting coach, though Brian Cashman had nothing official to announce on Tuesday during a fiery media scrum at the GM meetings. The Yankees went through two hitting coaches in 2023, as Cashman made Dillon Lawson the first in-season firing of his career before hiring Sean Casey. The Yankees’ offense struggled under both, but communication improved with Casey. However, he decided against coming back due to family matters.
While Cashman would not speak specifically on Rowson, he did shed some light on what the Yankees are looking for in their next hitting coach. He mentioned that he wants a jack of all trades in the role — someone who can click with youngsters and veterans alike while demonstrating knowledge of swing mechanics, analytics, technology, performance science and strength and conditioning.
“Like any coach, you have to be able to partner and connect with your players,” Cashman said. “If you can’t do that, you won’t be able to hook up your fire hose to let your information flow.
“The younger guys might gravitate more to tech and analytical information. Older guys might not be as exposed in that world, might not have an interest in that world. So I need dual threats who can provide on everything. Hopefully the head guy, along with the team we put together, whoever that would be, could be a full-service operation. That was the hope with the previous regime.”
Cashman flatly said that Lawson lost his job due to a “lack of connectivity with our major league players,” which wasn’t a problem for Casey, who had MLB playing experience.
“Major league players at the big-league level, that’s like lions and tigers and bears, oh my,” Cashman said of Lawson, though he praised the work he did in the Yankees’ farm system. “On the minor-league side, there’s a lot more control. That’s like a petting zoo.”
Rowson would appear to meet at least some of the aforementioned criteria. The Mount Vernon native spent six seasons and two stints as the Yankees’ minor league coordinator. The most recent spanned from 2014 to 2016, giving Rowson a preexisting relationship with Aaron Judge.
He’s also held various hitting coach jobs and a bench coach gig at the major league level.
Bench coach is another role the Yankees need to fill after losing Carlos Mendoza to the Mets. Mendoza is set to become a first-time manager, but Cashman was surprised it took this long.
“He’s been a bridesmaid to many of these interviews. I cannot tell you the amount of feedback I have gotten with everyone he has interviewed with, which is, ‘I cannot believe this guy hasn’t got a manager job yet. Is this real?’” Cashman said before detailing Mendoza’s attributes, including the Venezuelan’s fluency in English and Spanish. “He’s got structure. He’s got process. He knows the game’s fundamentals. He’s been running our major league spring training for years. He probably was taught by [former Yankees bench coach] Rob Thomson how to run our camp when Rob was running it before him. He knows analytics inside out. He’s got discipline. He’s not afraid to go after a player when necessary and when it’s required. He’s got a soft touch to it at the same time. He’s a Swiss Army knife.
“I think the Mets got a really great baseball person. We lost an asset that we’re going to now have to replace. But I’m a Mendy fan and I congratulate him. I thought that there was going to be a job for him already, but this is the one that’s meant to be.”
It’s not a given that the Yankees’ next bench coach will run spring training, as Cashman noted that first base/infield coach Travis Chapman handled those responsibilities while Mendoza coached at the World Baseball Classic earlier this year.
Rather, the priority will be finding someone that Boone can rely on in-game and off the field.
“Boone will have the biggest impact on [interviews] because it’s got to be someone he wants,” Cashman said. “He’s going to be partnered with [them]. He loved Mendy. I know he’s going to miss him. But I’m sure we’ll find somebody quality to replace him with.”
The Yankees could go a number of different ways when it comes to filling the void left by Mendoza. A younger coach may have an easier time connecting with the Yankees’ younger players, and Mendoza’s ability to speak two languages made him popular with Spanish-speaking players. Then again, the Yankees could also turn to a former manager who could guide Boone, or someone who could be the bad cop to the skipper’s good cop.
There has been speculation over a number of candidates, including Yankees third base coach and ex-Mets manager Luis Rojas, former Yankees Eric Chavez and Carlos Beltrán, Astros bench coach Joe Espada, and ex-Cubs skipper David Ross.
While the Yankees already know they have two jobs to fill, more positions on Boone’s staff could open up. For example, a new hitting coach may want to replace assistants Casey Dykes and Brad Wilkerson.
“We’re going through that process still,” Cashman said when asked if the Yankees are keeping the rest of their staff.
