Jeff Pentland, and his hitting philosophy

New Yankees hitting coach Jeff Pentland has been around the game for a long time, yet he has his work cut out. After missing the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 1992-1993, the Yankees will need to get their offense back on track, if they hope to contend.

Only several years removed from having a truly dominant offense that consistently set the pace for the MLB, the Yankees finished 20th in runs, 20th in batting average, and 23rd in hits last season. This was a far cry from the days of the Bronx Bombers, and almost embarrassing considering how much money is allocated to the offense.

Pentland, described hitting as a very difficult art form, and stated that “the main thing [in his philosophy] is that [he] is available for the players”. He went on to say that he has to “be well versed in swings and how to break down pitchers”. While the Yankees will have 7 or 8 veterans (depending if Stephen Drew starts at 2B, which I expect) in their 9 lineup spots, these players can still learn from a hitting standpoint.

Over the years, we have seen small tweaks make huge changes. If Pentland is able to convince Mark Teixeira, and Brian McCann to start going the other way more often, the team will benefit highly. Having a healthy Carlos Beltran surely will not hurt either, but the player who Pentland can help the most is young shortstop Didi Gregorius.

Pentland has already stated that he believes Gregorius can have a “huge future”, so I am sure he will spend a lot of focus on developing that future. If he does help with these minor tweaks, this can be a potent offense, with speed at the top, power in the middle, and hopefully some contact at the bottom of the order.

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