Yankees coaching promotion could make all the difference with roster's problems

There will be a new face on the Yankees' big league coaching staff in 2026, but he's one that some of the club's youngest stars know well. With hitting assistant Pat Roessler moving on, the Yankees are bringing up minor league hitting coordinator Jake Hirst to work with the major leaguers.

Hirst has been with the Yankees organization for nearly seven years, and during that time has worked with several of the team's most high-profile youngsters in their journey to the major leagues.

While some, like Ben Rice, have translated the success they had in the minors to the bigs, others, like Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells, have not.

The Yankees' promotion of Jake Hirst could unlock New York's struggling young bats

Much of Hirst's work has come at Double-A Somerset. For many young hitters, Double-A is the make-or-break level. The jump from Hi-A to Double-A is considered to be the steepest in the path to the majors. Once hitters arrive at that level, they begin to encounter pitchers who have an understanding of how to use the secondary offerings and have actual command as opposed to general control.

Therefore, it's not surprising to see talented prospects with enticing traits stall out at the level.

Austin Wells had one of his best minor league seasons in 2022 once he reached Double-A and benefited from Hirst's tutelage. During that stint, the Yankee backstop slashed .260/.361/.479 in what was his first taste of action at the level. Ditto for Anthony Volpe, who posted an 11.5 % walk rate and an (unbelievable now) 17.7% strikeout rate.

The following season, Ben Rice got his first dose of Double-A and put up a ridiculous .327/.401/.648 mark in 48 games.

Along with Jasson Dominguez, this trio just a few years ago was looked at as a foundational cornerstone for the Yankees. While Rice has reached (and even exceeded) expectations, the results from Volpe, Wells, and Dominguez have left something to be desired.

Dominguez's performance at the plate was a hair above league average based on his 103 wRC+, yet he found himself regularly out of the lineup in September. Wells, despite clocking 21 dingers, was below average overall, coming in with a 94 wRC+. Volpe was a trainwreck for most of the season, coming in 17% worse than league average with an 83 wRC+.

Hirst got through to these struggling-but-talented youngsters once, and if he can leverage his relationships with them to get them back on track, it would be an incredible boost for the Yankees.

All three were once regarded as having All-Star potential, and if Hirst can unlock them then the Yankees can put all the concerning talk aside about their homegrown position players.