The New York Yankees have fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson after Sunday Night's frustrating loss against the Chicago Cubs. Lawson, who was promoted to the big leagues from the minors before the 2022 season, hasn’t been able to fix one of the worst offenses in baseball.
The Yankees have struggled severely at the plate this season, unable to get hits with runners on base or hits in general. They are tied for the second worst batting average in the league with a .231, are below league average in on base percentage (.320) with a .300, and are below league average in OPS (.730) with a .710.
No matter what team the Yankees played, good or bad, the Bronx Bombers could not generate offensive production at the plate and could not make plays when they needed to be made.
Top players for the Yankees like Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and DJ LeMahieu are drowning on offense and recording some of their worst batting averages of their careers.
Many fans and those inside and outside of the organization were left wondering if the team was going to make any changes to try and fix this issue, but were skeptical since the Yankees had never made coaching changes in season under General Manager Brian Cashman.
Clearly Cashman had seen enough, as he explained in a press release from the team that the move was made to give the team their “best chance to perform closer to their capabilities as they move forward into the second half of the season.”
The team announced that no replacement has been named at this time, but Cashman stated that the new coach will come from outside of the organization and will take over before the three game series with the Colorado Rockies.
“I'm looking for a unique personality that will blend and connect with that group of players, as well as some of the players that I currently have on the injured list.” - Brian Cashman
As for the two assistant hitting coaches, Casey Dykes and Brad Wilkerson, Cashman said that they will stay with the team in their current roles.
With the Yankees sitting at 49-42 and fourth place in the AL East heading into the All Star break, the coaching change couldn’t have been at a better time.
Update, July 10, 1:05pm - The Yankees have announced former Cincinnati Reds slugger and MLB Network analyst, Sean Casey, has been hired as hitting coach. Casey's contract will be through the end of the 2023 season.
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