In 2014, he became the second player in franchise history to be named the Atlantic League Player of the Year after breaking the leagues single-season records for hits (189) and games played (140). Holmes, meanwhile, went from nowhere to somewhere. Blakes impact has been multi-faceted. For further information, visit, The Atlantic League is the first Professional Partner League of Major League Baseball, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. Given all the injuries to their position players, a primary reason for the Yankees success is the pitching of Cortes, Holmes, Cole, Jordan Montgomery, and others. With baseball, and the Yankees, moving more in the direction of heavy analytical influence, Cashman needed to make the right hire. You see the market moving. Blake admitted that working with Holmes on his sinker and slider has netted improvements. Why Luis Rojas Is Poised to Shine in New Role on Yankees' Coaching Staff. (Central Islip, N.Y., Jan. 12, 2022) The Long Island Ducks today announced their coaching staff for the 2022 season. Already subscribe? Blake then came onto the field and had an exchange with Gibson. While Cortes 2021 stats with New York were impressive, theyre dwarfed by what hes accomplished so far this season. He also spent time in The Show with the Minnesota Twins (1989), Pittsburgh Pirates (1990), Philadelphia Phillies (1991-92) and Seattle Mariners (1993), compiling a .275 batting average in 1,102 MLB games. Rojas is the son of Felipe Alou and brother of Moises Alou. Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake.Randy Miller | NJ Advance Media. The Yankees sent out Luetge, Castro, Peralta, King and Holmes. ALPB has sent over 1,000 players to MLB organizations while drawing over 42 million fans to its family friendly ballparks throughout its 24-year history. He is just 128 hits away from tying former Ducks infielder Bryant Nelson for the most hits in Atlantic League history (1,096). Meanwhile, Miguel Castro has at times looked electric since coming over in a trade with the Mets. He attended Liberty University, where he received his B.S. Skip recommended stories carousel and go to main content. Davis was a bench coach on Jack McKeons Florida Marlins staff in 2003, helping lead that club to a World Series win over the Yankees. With Holmes, King is one of the most incredible projects for thee Yankees pitching coach. Everything has been great, so how do we make this continue? Blake said. He joined the Yankees in 2013 as the trainer for Staten Island and also spent three seasons with Charleston from 2014 through 2016. He spent the last 29 seasons as the New Yorks Triple-A trainer, spanning the clubs final years in Columbus and each year with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre since 2007. Blake isnt taking credit, though. His father, Marc, is the General Manager of the Salt Lake Bees in the Pacific Coast League. Swanson is also entering his third season in pinstripes. Holmes had struggled mightily in Pittsburgh, and Yankee fans were bewildered and angry by the move. He most recently worked as a special assistant to the general manager with the Angels and was a special assignment scout with the Yankees before that. But that doesnt mean he wont keep his eyes open in the offseason and he took particular note of Johnsons move. internally mancuso If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. He can be reached at (570) 558-4637 or via email at amarco@swbrailriders.com. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Bringing Blake on to mold the organizations approach to pitching is probably the best non-player related decision Cashman has made with the team. The Long Island Ducks are members of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a Professional Partner League of Major League Baseball. However, given the way the team is currently run under Hal Steinbrenner, having that extra $20-$30 million of wiggle room on a yearly basis should matter a lot. As a coach, the Central Islip resident helped two other Ducks players be named ALPB Player of the Year (Jordany Valdespin, 2018; Steve Lombardozzi, 2021). Since working with his new pitching coach, Holmes has been incredible. Jimmy Downam is the teams new Athletic Trainer, while Strength & Conditioning Coach Larry Adegokeis back for his second season. Ive enjoyed retirement and being home but have really been itching to get back to what Im about, and coming back to Long Island and the Ducks was the perfect solution. in exercise and nutrition science from the University of Tampa. He went on to serve a variety of roles for Cleveland, including stints as the Cultural Development Coordinator (2002-04, 10-12), Assistant Farm Director (2005-06) and the Director of Latin American Operations (2007-09). Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. What do they think its worth? He pushed me to be the best version of myself. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre finished the season with a 75-52 record and in second place in the Northeast Division of Triple-A East. To put things in perspective, they have a player like Clarke Schmidt in the minor leagues who realistically could start on at least half the teams in MLB. He took a chance with Matt Blake, who hadnt taken on the traditional pitching coach title in his career. Chavez, 44, was a Gold Glove third baseman for the Athletics in the early- and mid-2000s before spending two seasons with New York toward the end of his career. He earned his M.S. Players are willing to be coached at all stages of their lives.. Hell be able to do this as long as he wants., The best insights from the ultimate insiders. He took off two miles per hour on his slider and increased the movement of the pitch by six inches. Blake is in his third year as Yankees pitching coach after coming over from Cleveland, where he was the minor league pitching director. Combined they faced 22 batters. Holmes, meanwhile, started 2021 as a struggling reliever with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Over 8 million fans have enjoyed the Ducks brand of affordable, fun entertainment at Fairfield Properties Ballpark since inception in 2000. Amicone, 34, will serve as Scranton/Wilkes-Barres Hitting Coach this season. The Yankees entered the 2022 season with stalwarts Aroldis Chapman and and Chad Green leading the rotation. He was never a prospect, he said. Amicone has also worked privately with hitters at the professional, college, high school and youth levels. With the team developing an endless number of relievers all between good to elite, the Yankees may never again feel the need to dole out the contracts like the $85 million deal for Chapman, or the $56 million committed to retain Zack Britton. When I came over to Cleveland and got promotions and raises because the industry kept wanting my skill-set. From the Yankees on Severino going into the night: RHP Luis Severino will make his eighth start of the season in Game 2 todays doubleheader vs. Chicago-ALthe 28-year-old will pitch on extended five days rest due to Fridays rainoutlast started on Monday at Baltimore, recording his third win of the season after allowing just 1ER over a season-high-tying 6.0IP (1H, 2BB, 7K, 1HP, 1HR)went 1-0 in four scoreless relief appearances for the Yankees in 2021 (6.0IP, 2H, 1BB, 8K) after missing the first 150 games of the season on the injured list after undergoing Tommy John surgery on 2/27/20the two-time AL All-Star (2017, 18) ranked third in the Majors in 2018 with 19 wins (19-8), tied for second-most by a Yankee in the last 14 seasons (since 2009) behind CC Sabathia (21-7 in 2010)has two of the top-seven single-season strikeout totals in Yankees history (230K in 2017, 220K in 2018)is one of three pitchers in Yankees history with multiple 200-strikeout seasons (also David Cone, 1997-98 and Ron Guidry, 1978-79)finished third in 2017 AL Cy Young Award votingwas originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on 12/26/11signed to a four-year contract extending through the 2022 season with a club option for the 2023 season on 2/15/19. The 31-year-old Dykes was Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barres hitting coach in 2021. Manager Aaron Boones staff had underwhelmed and Larry Rothschild, the teams long tenured pitching coach, took the fall. They allowed 2 walks, 1 hit, 0 runs and struck out 5. Rothschild didnt work. He has previously held pitching coach positions in the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals and New York Mets organizations. In that time, he has led his teams to eight division championships and four league championships. When batters are able to put the ball in play, almost 83% of the time it is a ground ball. Last season for the Yankees, he went 5-2 out of the pen with a 1.61 ERA while allowing 22 batters to reach base and striking out 34 in 28 innings. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. The same thing goes for Jameson Taillon, Nestor Cortes, and Jordan Montgomery. Brendan Kuty | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. The concerns he had when he took the job, living in New York and the grind of the major league season, have been answered, Blake said. Many questioned if the new analytical mindset of the Yankees pitching coach would actually work. The Toronto Blue Jays tabbed Davis to lead the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2006 and then elevated him to lead the Syracuse Chiefs in 2007 and 2008. The Atlantic League is the first Professional Partner League of Major League Baseball, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. Some guys maybe are looking around trying to be someone else. What better place to return to coaching than the Ducks? said Tomlin. The Sandy, Utah, native has served as an assistant coach and camp coordinator for the Dixie State baseball program as well as the head baseball coach at Woods Cross High School in Utah. Theres a huge market for developing pitching and hes gonna raise the tide for a lot of people. The Yankees have the best pitching coach in baseball, MLB Draft 2022: Yankees picks rounds 11-15. pic.twitter.com/TnPxiHsLx4. The Texas native has totaled 479 RBIs, 506 runs and 213 doubles in a Ducks uniform, which leave him 69 RBIs, 93 runs and 32 doubles shy of tying Ray Navarrete for the Ducks all-time records. Former Red Barons infielder Travis Chapman served as the RailRiders Defensive Coach in 2018 and is now the Yankees First Base Coach. Dominguez also spent eight years managing teams in the Gulf Coast and Dominican Summer Leagues. That left Brian Cashman at a crucial inflection point in his Yankees tenure. Its an interesting time to be a major league pitching coach.. Hes compensated fairly for what the industry currently thinks, Blake said. in Athletic Training in 2009 and a M.S. Nowadays, the weapons run through the entire relief corps. Hes really identified what he does well and hes not scared to do it. Michael King, Mean 96mph Two Seamer. That chance has paid off. READ: Why Luis Rojas Is Poised to Shine in New Role on Yankees' Coaching Staff. Downam has been the New Yorks trainer for their Double-A club each of the last five seasons. Blake, a lefty, pitched at Holy Cross he has a degree in psychology and philosophy and then with the now-defunct Concord Quarry Dogs of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. beausoleil Now official, New Yorks staff will include some familiar names. Replays showed that the ball hit Andersons foot after the swing before dribbling to the left side, where pitcher Luis Severino fell trying to field it. Longtime RailRiders trainer Darren London has retired after 33 years in the Yankees organization. Special to the Union Leader. NEW YORK More like pitching a fit coach. Druschel is now the Yankees Assistant Pitching Coach. He was with the Trenton Thunder in 2018 and 2019. The 45-year-old has been selected to play in three Atlantic League All-Star Games while with the Ducks (2014, 2015, 2018). While losing these two arms could have spelt disaster, Matt Blake and the Yankees simply keep on rolling. 2022 marks his 15th season in the Yankees organization. Matt Blake deserves enormous credit for helping mold the clubs tremendous, deep pitching staff. He is the best pitching coach in baseball, and we should hope that hell be with the Yankees for a long, long time. 500 at bats), with a .319 batting average and 968 hits in a Ducks uniform. Season ticket memberships and single-game tickets are on sale now. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. However, the Yankees bullpen has become one of the best pitching units in baseball and that is thanks to pitching coach Matt Blake. In addition to his time as a manager or coach, he has also held the positions of Minor League Field Coordinator for the Montreal Expos, the Marlins and the Toronto Blue Jays. That is enough money to acquire a high-level starting pitcher or position player on the free agent market, and its money that wont need to be allocated to shore up the bullpen. Yankees 2022 draft pick tracker, social media guide, Yankees absolute dream trade target: Juan Soto, MLB Draft 2022: Yankees select Spencer Jones with 25th overall pick, Yankees potential trade target: Luis Castillo, The 25 Best Yankees Games of the Past 25 Years. With one out, manager Aaron Boone left the dugout to speak to Gibson. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. taillon jameson acquire He joined the Yankees organization in 2020 and spent last season with New Yorks Dominican Summer League team. In 2021, he was a defensive coach in the Florida Complex League. I grew into velocity but I learned how to pitch as I got older.. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.. Davis made his Major League debut in 1988 for the Angels and finished his playing career in 1995. He was named the leagues Manager of the Year in 2019 after winning both halves and breaking the franchises single-season wins record. Clay Holmes, 84mph Slider and 100mph Two Seamer, Overlay. 2022 Advance Local Media LLC. He is the franchises all-time leading hitter (min. The 68-year-old has over 25 years of experience as a coach in professional baseball. About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB). This will be Mendozas fifth season on New Yorks staff and third as bench coach. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Was it a coincidence that both players improved under the tutelage of Yankees third-year pitching coach and Concord native Matt Blake? Over nine seasons as a manager, Davis has skippered 1,126 games with a .524 winning percentage (590-536). He initially signed with the Yankees as a non-drafted Minor League free agent in 2001 and played four seasons before moving to the player development side. While we have 4 years of big league evidence that Clay Holmes sucksI hate this team. With the injury to Chapman, Holmes has stepped into the closer role, a role that he might not relinquish. He played at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, MO, before becoming a graduate assistant at Lindenwood University, completing his Masters of Education with an emphasis in strength and conditioning degree in 2010. Ford has amassed six seasons of Major League experience during his 22-year playing career, spending time with the Minnesota Twins (2003-07) and Baltimore Orioles (2012). Organizations can be great at developing pitchers, trading for pitchers, or acquiring them via free agency. He chooses to focus on the pitchers for listening to what he says. I like the people I work with. Long Island has posted the ALPBs best record in both of his seasons managing the team, going 86-54 in 2019 and 68-52 in 2021. Now, his ERA stands at 2.81, he has allowed 31 batters to reach base and struck out 44 in only 32 innings. He was supposed to be New Yorks Single-A hitting coach in 2020 before the minor league season was cancelled. Anytime you see someone in a similar skill-set go and do something like that you say, Interesting, Blake said Friday, before the Yankees game against the Guardians at Progressive Field was postponed by rain. Blake deserves loads of credit for it. Nine of those seasons (1980-88) were played with the New York Mets, where he helped lead the team to a World Series Championship in 1986. I love working for these guys and I think they like having me here, so what does that mean for both sides?. The Ducks have welcomed over 8 million fans, hosted over 690 sellout crowds and won four ALPB championships since beginning play in April of 2000. What the Yankees pitching coach has been able to accomplish with staff is nothing short of amazing. The 40-year-old spent the last 16 years in Flushing, filling a variety of roles. Its hard to say that hes not worth, call it $1 million, if youre turning minor league free agents into good pitchers. This year, he allowed a run to score in his first appearance, and hasnt allowed one since. Rojas comes to the Yankees from Queens after spending two seasons as the Mets manager. He changes arm angles, varies the speed of his windup and hides the ball in his delivery. Its the same thing here now., I love being here and I love the role Im in, Blake said. Partly cloudy. Please visitwww.atlanticleague.com. Dillon Lawson will be the teams hitting coach, while Casey Dykes and former Yankee Eric Chavez will serve as assistant hitting coaches. His ERA is .33, he has allowed 18 hitters to reach base and struck out 29 in just under 28 innings pitched. I want them to do whats right for what they think is right as a business, Blake said. Partly cloudy. pic.twitter.com/8DS7xwrWTU. Register for online access, Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Yankees' pitchers thriving under Concord's Matt Blake, By Mike Scandura After Gerrit Cole was shelled and lifted early, the Yankees would need the relievers to pick up the remaining 6.2 innings. That is a great problem to have. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). He uses it a career-high 79 percent of the time whereas last season he only used it 59 percent of the time.. All Rights Reserved, The Long Island Ducks are members of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a Professional Partner League of Major League Baseball. Would you like to receive our daily news. Ranging from elite prospect to DFAd journeyman, Blake has guided each of these hurlers on a path to be the very best versions of themselves. When he was dealt to the Yankees on July 26, he had a 4.93 ERA. Davis, 59, graduated from Central Columbia High School and played collegiately at NC State University. The Yankees lost the first game of the doubleheader, 3-1. Follow Gary Phillips on Twitter (@GaryHPhillips). Statistically speaking, the Yankees probably wont finish the season with a .719 winning streak and anything can happen as the season continues. Adegoke joined the Yankees organization on a full-time basis in 2018 and joined Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year. The Long Island Ducks are members of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a Professional Partner League of Major League Baseball, and play their home games at Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip, N.Y. AL 3, NL 2: Giancarlo takes liftoff, wins All-Star MVP. But he finished the season with a 5-2 record and a 1.61 ERA. The first, Clay Holmes, was acquired from the Pirates for a fan favorite prospect, Hoy Park. Its something youve seen trending in this direction and now its just a matter of whos willing to play the arms race?. In 2018, Johnson joined the Astros system as the Pitching Coach for Class-A Quad Cities. Diaz managed the Staten Island Yankees to a 37-36 record in 2018 and returned to the GCL in 2019 as their defensive coach. He finished with a 2-3 record, a 2.90 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 93 innings. The Yankees always had a top-tier bullpen, but it was usually marked by three top-line players, oftentimes imported via big-ticket free agent deals. All that said, and we havent even discussed the strides the pitchers in the starting rotation have taken, Gerrit Cole and Severino included. On paper, Gerrit Cole is the Yankees ace. Nestor thrives on precision and funk, Blake said during a recent phone interview. The 2022 season has been extremely kind to the New York Yankees through the first couple of months of the season. Additionally, he has served as a Minor League Pitching Coordinator for the Yankees, Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers. Outside of the top two, Matt Blake and manager Aaron Boone have been able to rely on multiple other names in the Yankees bullpen. wbc pitcher brawl aceves restraining satan thinks alfredo larry walker saw eyes while during he nesn I feel like he gave me an opportunity, Blake said. Matt Blake and the Yankees staff propensity to develop pitchers in-house and get the most out players acquired via trade will open Brian Cashmans flexibility in free agency in the years to come. Prior to his coaching career, Backman enjoyed a 14-year Major League playing career. He spent 2019 & 2021 as the Pitching Coach for Corpus Christi in Double-A. Rick Tomlin returns to the Flock as pitching coach after previously serving in that role during the 2019 championship-winning season. It seemed like he had an issue with Tim Andersons single. The AL has now won nine Midsummer Classics in a row, thanks in large part to MVP Giancarlo Stanton. Due to the success he had in Cleveland, the Yankees decided that Matt Blake would be the perfect fit to be the next Yankees pitching coach. After a stint with Western Illinois University, Johnson joined the staff at Morehead State. At the time, Luis Severinos was the clubs best starter, but he did not always provide the length needed in the playoffs, leaving the rest of the rotation and bullpen in a sticky situation. Downam enters his tenth season with the Yankees as an Athletic Trainer, but his first in Triple-A. Additionally, in his two seasons at the helm, more than 30 Ducks players have had their contracts purchased by or joined Major League organizations/foreign professional leagues. After three years of coaching in a variety of roles for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Davis was slated to manage the RailRiders in 2020 but officially took the reigns in the dugout last season. He joins returning manager Wally Backman and hitting coach Lew Ford to round out the staff. Where the impact on the Yankees bullpen by Matt Blake can be seen the most was last nights 10-7 win over the Minnesota Twins. New York Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake, right, is flanked by manager Aaron Boone during a game in Philadelphia last June. He was a coach at the teams Alternate Site in 2020. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. Diaz, 51, enters his eighth season with the Yankees organization. Now were gonna hear about how the peripherals said Hoy Park stinks and this guy is a hidden gem.Meanwhile actual stats show he can hit, didnt get a chance in the majors. Well see what it looks like at the end., Hes been awesome, Boone said. But a case could be made that Cortes, a left-hander, has supplanted him in that role. He previously spent five years at the University of Iowa. Holmes has found his success by improving on his already league leading ground ball rate, a core principle for Matt Blake. Going into the 2020 offseason, changes were coming to the Bronx. On top of that, it was clear Larry Rothschild was not a fit to get the most out of the rotation, including Severino. Instead, because of the work hes done with Blake, his low-90s fastball is complemented by a slider and cutter along with command and control. Brent Drevalas will serve as the Video Manager and Nick Loeffelholz will be the Advance Scouting Analyst. Hes really authentic in who he is.. He does concede hes pleased with the results.. The top-to-bottom quality of the Yankees current pitching staff is incredible to see. The coming season will be Harkeys 13th as New Yorks bullpen coach. In total, Tomlin has earned five World Series championship rings, including one with the Twins and four with the Yankees. On any given day, there are probably four to six relievers Aaron Boone would be comfortable with on the bump to get the last few outs of a game. That helped me as I got further on in my college career.. You have permission to edit this article. Adegoke graduated with a B.S. Meanwhile, Michael King is also making his name known in the Yankees bullpen. Incredibly, his hot end last year looks borderline bad in comparison to his 2022 season. The success of both pitchers is a clear indication that the strategy the Bombers envisioned for Matt Blake when took over as pitching coach is working. Signup today! I dont have any ambition of going to another team or the college ranks.. The Yankees officially unveiled their 2022 coaching staff under Aaron Boone on Tuesday. It was announced that Carlos Mendoza will return as bench coach, Matt Blake will return as pitching coach, Mike Harkey will return as bullpen coach and Tanner Swanson is back for another year as New York's quality control and catching coach. in exercise science from Kennesaw State University (Ga.), where he also spent time as a strength and conditioning intern for the football team. Lawson, 36, spent the past three years as the organizations minor league hitting coordinator. And after the eye-opening midseason departure of Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson to take the same job at LSU for a reported raise of about $400,000 to a deal worth around $750,000 per year, with bonuses, it appears successful pitching coaches are in higher demand than ever before. Brendan Kutymay be reached atbkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Main image credit Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'r_h6yEUwSBdZfR5vmwOhUA',sig:'fbuDR97FLzrJWSnjYL8xDgNY6-gveOZIkIttd58zqEc=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1241206943',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); St. Louis Blues Free Agency 2022: First Wave, MLB Awards Race: National League Cy Young Predictions, Blue Jays Add Pitching Depth, Acquire Foster Griffin From Royals. However, at other times his lack of control is concerning. The RailRiders open the 2022 season on the road at Syracuse on April 5.