Going forward into 2024, the New York Yankees will play under a different set of coaching groups. Hitting coach Sean Casey and bench coach Carlos Mendoza won’t be a part of the group from next season onwards. While the hunt for Aaron Boone’s next deputy is still on, the search for a hitting coach ended at James Rowson.
Former Detroit Tigers assistant hitting coach James Rowson formally took charge as the New York Yankees’ new hitting coach last week. Ahead of his debut season, Rowson spoke exclusively to the New York Post and shared insights on his hitting philosophies. Also, James opened up on how he plans to help Yankee’s struggling hitters in 2024.
James Rowson Says He Has No Particular Coaching Style! Building Relationship Is Key!
In less than six months, the New York Yankees appointed its third hitting coach. After Dillon Lawson and Sean Casey were relieved of their duties, the front office signed former Tigers assistant hitting coach James Rowson as the Yanks’ new hitting coach. Ahead of the pivotal season, Rowson shared his plans with the New York Post via an interview. When quizzed about his hitting philosophies, Rowson responded by saying he has no particular style as he believes each player must decide the style that suits them the best for themselves. James also believes that having one particular way of teaching does not help, as each hitter is different from the others. While some might find it useful, others could struggle to grasp it. Thus, it is better to keep an open mind.
James Rowson further explained that before he gets into the specifics of coaching, he intends to build strong relationships with each and every hitter. He feels that while hitting, one witnesses ups and downs, but human relationships stay for a lifetime. Moreover, the more a coach and player remain connected to one another, the better. It increased the efficiency of both parties. Rowson also emphasized the importance of listening. He says before coming up with ideas, he wants to listen to each hitter’s troubles individually. Sometimes, the answer to some problems is just in front of the batter. They just need the right guiding light to point them in that direction. “Listening is a big key factor. It’ll help you guide the path of success for them at times,” says James Rowson.
Brian Cashman’s Injury Remark On Stanton Might Put The Yankees’ Big Free Agent Pursuit In Jeopardy!
General manager Brian Cashman is inviting unwanted problems for the New York Yankees with his disorderly choice of words. To provide a little context, Cashman passed an unnecessary remark about Yankee slugger Giancarlo Staton, stating that getting injured has become a part of the latter’s game. Of course, the comments didn’t sit well with the slugger’s team, specifically his agent, Joel Wolfe.
He hit back at Cashman and issued a caution to foreign and domestic players who are considering joining the Yankees in the future. Joel advised them to develop a Teflon skin as they would not be allowed to lower their guard even during the off-season. The problem is that Wolfe is also the agent of the club’s top free-agency target, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. There is a chance Joel puts in a bad word about the Yankee organization to Yamamoto, which could land the Yanks’ dream pursuit in jeopardy.