Cash On Hitting Coaches: ‘It’s A Two-Man Job Now’

It took long enough didn’t it? From being turned down, to rumors of former Bronx power hitters being ushered in as coaches, the Yankees finally made the decision to hire not one, but two hitting coaches recently. Former Dodgers’ and Marlins’ coach Jeff Pentland will lead the charge in an attempt to revitalize a sagging Yankees’ lineup, with Alan Cockrell assisting throughout the season. The question is, why both of them? 

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For years, Kevin Long seemed not to have an issue working with an entire roster, and had enough energy to often make statements to the media on various topics–something that is highly uncommon for hitting coaches. But Long viewed himself as a pseudo-rock star, the guy who had the Bombers’ lineup humming to record-setting home run totals and droves of runs being scored without much effort. Then a funny thing happened along the way. Players left and were replaced, and those replacements–primarily Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, and whomever was playing second and third base, didn’t quite live up to expectations, and Long became the fall guy after two putrid offensive seasons. He’s in Queens now, and the duo of Pentland and Cockrell have been charged with resuscitating an aging and underperforming roster.

“The Yankees have a lot of veteran players, so it’s not like we’re trying to reinvent the wheel” Pentland told the NY Post’s Dan Martin by phone recently. “You need to coach each player and listen to their own personal style. You don’t want nine guys going in nine different directions, but you do have to be patient and learn what each guy can do.”

Some of the faces the Yankees need to have bounce back in 2015 are familiar with Pentland. Alex Rodriguez has known the 68-year old coach since the early 1990s in instructional league, and Carlos Beltran has worked with Pentland as well. “They know what they’re doing. Sure, there can be nagging injuries as you get older, but hopefully everyone’s in good shape.”

When Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman first began the process of finding Long’s replacement, he didn’t know at the time that the two-man configuration was going to be the way the Yankees went. “They generally said it was a two-man job now…I heard that a lot. It’s something I’ve never done before, but one man can’t be in all places.” So after the likes of Chili Davis and Eric Hinske declined–both former Yankees on World Series winners, and the team passed on Dave Magadan, Cashman decided to take a different approach. And it’s been obvious with the formulating of the new coaching staff. When former second baseman and title-winning coach under Joe Torre, Willie Randolph can’t get a job, things definitely will be different in the Bronx in 2015. Whether that’s good or bad, remains to be seen.