LONG OVERDUE…LONG GONE

The Yankees made some news today, the same day that the American League Division Series begins without them playing in it.  Today, they extended Brian Cashman’s contract for another 3 years as their General Manager/Senior Vice President; fired Kevin Long, their hitting coach; and decided not to renew the contract of their first base/infield coach.

In my opinion, the re-signing of Brian Cashman is an overall good deal.  Yes, he has made mistakes; but, what GM hasn’t?  His quick deals before the trading deadline proved to be very successful including the acquisitions of 3^rd baseman, Chase Headley; infielder, Martín Prado; and starting pitcher, Brandon McCarthy.  He works very well with the Steinbrenners and the press - both of which add value towards the Yankees’ management.  I strongly believe that Brian is underrated by many because he always has an open wallet available, unlike other team’s GMs; but, as I’ve mentioned in the past, he has enough history to show he’s smart, shrewd, and owns an overall successful track record that can’t be denied - with or without a great deal of spending money.

Firing Kevin Long, their now-former hitting coach, is a move the NYY had to make.  Some will argue that a hitting coach is more of a mental coach for hitters who have already proven their offensive talent doesn’t need someone to teach them, especially a former failed hitter; but, I believe that a really good coach is needed now, more than ever, because of the increasingly-used defensive infield shift.  It was clear that Kevin got overly carried away with his techniques as more and more hitters, under his tutelage, were increasingly getting worse (especially their batting averages) as they worked with Kevin.  I’ve spoken to many Yankees’ fans who were rooting for his firing, so I know they’re rejoicing.  Key results from this year’s team totally support the need for a new hitting coach.  During the 2014 season the Yankees:

- had the lowest win total in over 30 years

- scored the fewest runs since 1990

- had their second consecutive year with less than 150 homeruns

- only hit .253 with runners in scoring position (their lowest since 1990)

- had the least amount of RBIs from the middle of their batting order (the lowest in the American League)

As for the first base/infield coach, Mick Kelleher, I don’t think he offered too much, from the little that we get to see from someone in his position.  He was great at receiving Derek Jeter’s protective leg guard, as Derek handed it off to him each time he reached first base!  Well, the infield made many blunders, so I guess that was the key to his downfall.  I also heard Brian insinuate that there’s some availability to replacing their first base coach and extending and/or possibly changing some of the responsibilities.

I’ve heard some rumored potential replacement names such as Luis Sojo, Hideki Matsui, and Tino Martinez.  I would definitely choose Matsui for a role.  He was a great hitter and a huge fan/player favorite.  He could also help lure some of that great talent from Japan, as he is still considered their “Godzilla”.

I can’t wait to see who they hire for both open positions, but I am particularly anxious to see who the next hitting coach will be.  At the same time, I will be scrutinizingly watching Brian’s performance even more this year than ever before because no Yankees’ fan wants to get to a third consecutive non-playoff year!!!