Meet the 2019 Yankees: Larry Rothschild

While some things change, other things just stay the same. While there have been tons of movement this offseason with the Yankees and their coaching staff some things have just kept chugging along like it always has. With a new manager and bench coach, among other positions, hired by the Yankees in 2018 the team needed a familiar and proven face to lead the pitching staff, and that face (as grumpy as it always looks) belongs to pitching coach Larry Rothschild. Larry is back in the same position here in 2018, so let's get reacquainted. This is Meet a Coach, and Meet the 2019 Yankees: The Larry Rothschild Edition.


Lawrence Lee Rothschild was born on March 12, 1954 in Chicago, Illinois. Rothschild attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School before heading off to college with the Florida State Seminoles. While with the Seminoles Rothschild was a pitcher before signing with the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent in 1975. Rothschild spent 11 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs as a relief pitcher from 1975 to 1985, only reaching the Major Leagues with the Tigers. In the Minor Leagues Rothschild compiled a 66-46 record before retiring and entering the world of coaching an MLB team.


From 1986 to 1993 Rothschild worked as a coach with the Cincinnati Reds, winning a World Series ring in 1990 as the team’s bullpen coach. After taking a season off Rothschild returned back to work in 1995 as a pitching instructor with the Atlanta Braves before joining the Florida Marlins later in the 1995 season. Rothschild stayed with the Florida Marlins through the 1997 season winning another World Series ring as a coach before being offered the managerial job with the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays for the 1998 season. Rothschild remained the manager of the Devil Rays until early into the 2001 season when he was fired as the result of three consecutive losing seasons and a 4-10 start to the 2001 season. Rothschild latched on with the Florida Marlins as a consultant for the remainder of the 2001 season before having a bit of a homecoming in 2002 when his hometown Chicago Cubs hired Larry to be the team’s pitching coach.

Rothschild was the Cubs pitching coach from the 2002 season through the 2010 season and even committed to a 10th season in the Windy City before a certain team from the Bronx came calling hoping to land the great pitching and baseball mind.


Before the 2011 season the New York Yankees offered Rothschild a three-year deal to become part of joe Girardi’s staff after firing then pitching coach Dave Eiland. Obviously, Rothschild accepted and has been the Yankees pitching coach ever since. Under Rothschild’s tenure the Yankees pitching staff has pitched to a 4.05 ERA or under every single season. Rothschild has been signing one-year contracts to remain with the Yankees every year since the 2016 season and will hopefully remain with the team for years to come as we have seen pitcher after pitcher flourish under his tutelage. Rothschild has been a major part of and contributor to the recent success with the likes of Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Severino and could potentially be a huge part of the next wave of Yankees pitching reinforcements as well, namely Jonathan Loaisiga and Domingo German.

Rothschild was a huge “get” from the Chicago Cubs before the 2011 season and has been a huge part of the organization ever since over the past eight seasons. Here’s to another eight seasons, Larry. Thank you for everything that you are and thank you for everything that you do.

Meet a Coach: Larry Rothschild

While some things change, other things just stay the same. While there have been tons of movement this offseason with the Yankees and their coaching staff some things have just kept chugging along like it always has. With a new manager and bench coach, among other positions, hired by the Yankees this offseason the team needed a familiar and proven face to lead the pitching staff, and that face (as grumpy as it always looks) belongs to pitching coach Larry Rothschild. I don’t believe we ever did this kind of post with Rothschild, or really any of the Yankees coaching staff aside from the actual manager, so let’s meet him. This is Meet a Coach: The Larry Rothschild Edition.

Lawrence Lee Rothschild was born on March 12, 1954 in Chicago, Illinois. Rothschild attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School before heading off to college with the Florida State Seminoles. While with the Seminoles Rothschild was a pitcher before signing with the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent in 1975. Rothschild spent 11 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs as a relief pitcher from 1975 to 1985, only reaching the Major Leagues with the Tigers. In the Minor Leagues Rothschild compiled a 66-46 record before retiring and entering the world of coaching an MLB team.

From 1986 to 1993 Rothschild worked as a coach with the Cincinnati Reds, winning a World Series ring in 1990 as the team’s bullpen coach. After taking a season off Rothschild returned back to work in 1995 as a pitching instructor with the Atlanta Braves before joining the Florida Marlins later in the 1995 season. Rothschild stayed with the Florida Marlins through the 1997 season winning another World Series ring as a coach before being offered the managerial job with the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays for the 1998 season. Rothschild remained the manager of the Devil Rays until early into the 2001 season when he was fired as the result of three consecutive losing seasons and a 4-10 start to the 2001 season. Rothschild latched on with the Florida Marlins as a consultant for the remainder of the 2001 season before having a bit of a homecoming in 2002 when his hometown Chicago Cubs hired Larry to be the team’s pitching coach.

Rothschild was the Cubs pitching coach from the 2002 season through the 2010 season and even committed to a 10^th season in the Windy City before a certain team from the Bronx came calling hoping to land the great pitching and baseball mind.

Before the 2011 season the New York Yankees offered Rothschild a three-year deal to become part of joe Girardi’s staff after firing then pitching coach Dave Eiland. Obviously, Rothschild accepted and has been the Yankees pitching coach ever since. Under Rothschild’s tenure the Yankees pitching staff has pitched to a 4.05 ERA or under every single season. Rothschild has been signing one-year contracts to remain with the Yankees every year since the 2016 season and will hopefully remain with the team for years to come as we have seen pitcher after pitcher flourish under his tutelage. Rothschild has been a major part of and contributor to the recent success with the likes of Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Severino and could potentially be a huge part of the next wave of Yankees pitching reinforcements as well, namely Justus Sheffield and Chance Adams.

Rothschild was a huge “get” from the Chicago Cubs before the 2011 season and has been a huge part of the organization ever since over the past seven seasons. Here’s to another seven seasons, Larry. Thank you for everything that you are and thank you for everything that you do.

Has Larry Rothschild Really Made a Difference?

In case you missed it the New York Yankees had one member of their coaching staff that was set to become a free agent before the 2017 season and that one coach was the Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild. New York seems high on Rothschild and they didn’t let him dangle for long as they signed him to a one-year deal for the 2017 season and that got me thinking. Has Rothschild really made a difference in the Yankees pitching over his tenure in the Bronx and should New York be stumbling over themselves to get him signed again for the 2018 season?

Rothschild signed with the Yankees back in 2011 after being the pitching coach for many teams but most recently the pitching coach for the Chicago Cubs. The year before Rothschild signed the Yankees pitching staff as a whole had a 3.73 ERA while the team posted a 3.84 ERA in 2012, a 3.94 ERA in 2013, a 3.75 ERA in 2014, a 4.15 ERA in 2015 and a 4.16 ERA in 2016. In the six years prior to Rothschild the Yankees staff as a whole posted a 4.52 ERA in 2005, a 4.41 ERA in 2006, a 4.49 ERA in 2007, a 4.28 ERA in 2008, a 4.26 ERA in 2009, and a 4.06 in 2010. While these numbers look good on paper you have to remember that Rothschild has a much better bullpen these days in the Bronx that skew these numbers just a tad from before he was the pitching coach.  

Does the pitching coach even matter or is it the pitchers that make all the difference? You have to remember that in 2011, the first year under Rothschild, the Yankees pitching staff consisted of CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Ivan Nova, Bartolo Colon, Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia. This season the pitching staff on Opening Day was Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi, Luis Severino and CC Sabathia with Ivan Nova in the bullpen and Bryan Mitchell on the DL. I said all that to say this, you can’t compare apples to oranges here unfortunately because in the era of free agency the team’s change so much from year to year.

With that said has Larry Rothschild really made a difference in the Bronx? Most would argue that no he hasn’t but looking at the numbers I’m not sure that’s as much of a failure of his as it is a general rule for all coaches and managers. Talent is talent and you can only give so much guidance in these days and times. Larry hasn’t made a huge difference in my opinion, he “lost” Luis Severino this year while Nathan Eovaldi also took a step back, but no one off the top of my head (that is available) would have made that big of a difference either. Just my speculation.

Just something to remember when everyone is looking for a scape goat after a tough season is all. Carry on. 

Yankees Set 2016 Thunder Coaching Staff

The New York Yankees announced that former Major League outfielder Bobby Mitchell will manage the Thunder for the 2016 season.

A 7th round selection of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1977 Amateur Draft, Mitchell played 202 games over four seasons in the major leagues for the Dodgers and the Minnesota Twins. Mitchell was a member of the 1981 World Championship team and becomes the fifth Manager in franchise history to have played in the major leagues.

"I am honored to be a member of the most prestigious and successful organization in professional sports," said Mitchell. "I grew up a huge Yankee fan, so it is truly a dream come true for me. I enjoyed my visits to Trenton as a coordinator when they were an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and look forward to a successful season as the Trenton Thunder Manager."

Since his retirement from playing in 1986, Mitchell has served as an Outfield, Base Running & Bunting Coordinator for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres and Montreal Expos.

Mitchell began his managerial career in 2006 with a two-year stint leading the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (High-A, LAA). He then led the Angels' Triple-A affiliate, the Salt Lake Bees, for three seasons. In 2008 he guided the Bees to a 24-2 record to begin the season en route to a division championship and the second-best overall record in the Pacific Coast League with an 84-60 mark. Mitchell moved back into a roving role for the 2011 season with the Angels before beginning a two-year stint as a Manager with the Chicago Cubs' Rookie League affiliate in the Arizona League. He led the 2012 AZL Cubs to the playoffs with a 37-19 record, the third time in his managerial career that his team advanced to postseason play.

Joining Mitchell on the coaching staff will be Hitting Coach P.J. Pilittere, Pitching Coach Jose Rosado, Defensive Coach Justin Tordi and Bullpen Coach JD Closser. Athletic Trainer Lee Meyer will also return to the Thunder for a third season and the team's Strength Coach will be announced at a later date.

Hitting Coach P.J. Pilittere returns for a second season with the Thunder and fifth overall as a coach in the Yankees system. In 2015, he oversaw a Thunder offense that included a trio of future major leaguers, Greg Bird, Gary Sanchez and Mason Williams as well as top prospects Aaron Judge and Eric Jagielo. Pilittere was a 13th round selection of the Yankees in 2004 and went on to play in 470 minor league games where he hit .264 with 77 doubles, 16 HR and 183 RBI. P.J. was a catcher for the Thunder during the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons where he helped the Thunder win their first two Eastern League Championships in '07 and '08.

Jose Rosado also returns for a second season as Pitching Coach with the Thunder. Prior to his stint in Trenton, Rosado spent four seasons with the Gulf Coast Yankees as a pitching coach. He spent five seasons as a pitcher with the Kansas City Royals where he went 37-45 with a 4.25 ERA in 125 games. Originally a 12th round selection in the 1994 First-Year Player Draft, Rosado was named to the 1999 All Star Game in Boston as the Royals' lone representative.

Defensive Coach Justin Tordi joins the Thunder after serving in the same position with the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in 2015. Tordi was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 41st round of the 2005 draft out of the University of Florida. He earned second-team All-SEC honors in 2005 while playing shortstop for the national runner-up Gators. He played four seasons in the Reds' minor league system reaching double-A in 2008 and 2009.

JD Closser was named Bullpen Coach for the Thunder after serving as a coach for the Tampa Yankees (High-A) in 2015. A former major league catcher for the Colorado Rockies, Closser completed a 13-year playing career in 2011. Closser appeared in 160 games for the Rockies across the 2004, 2005 and 2006 seasons. He batted .239 with 10 HR and 48 RBI in his major league career.

Athletic Trainer Lee Meyer returns to the Thunder staff for a third season in 2016. Prior to his time in Trenton, Meyer spent two seasons with the Tampa Yankees and one season each with Charleston and Staton Island.

The 2016 season, the 23rd in franchise history, will begin at ARM & HAMMER Park on April 7 when the Thunder host the Erie SeaWolves (Detroit Tigers) at 7:00 p.m. Groups, season tickets, Pic-A-Plans and mini plans for the 2016 season are on sale now at www.TrentonThunder.com or by calling 609-394-3300.

Tamp Yankees Announce 2016 Coaching Staff

Tampa, Fla. - The New York Yankees Player Development office has officially announced the 2016 Tampa Yankees Field Staff. The team's new Manager will be Patrick Osborn with Pitching Coach Tim Norton and Defensive Coach Antonio Pacheco. Returning from the 2015 season are Hitting Coach Tom Slater, Strength and Conditioning Coach Joe Siara, and Athletic Trainer Michael Becker. Patrick Osborn enters his third season in the Yankees organization and his first with Tampa. He managed the Staten Island Yankees in 2015 leading the club to the NYPL Championship (41-34). In 2014 he managed the GCL Yankees and led the club to a first-place finish in the Northeast Division (35-25). He spent three seasons (2011-13) as manager of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, a member of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and led the Blue Crabs to three consecutive postseason berths. Tim Norton enters his first season as pitching coach for Tampa. He served in the same role for Single-A Charleston in 2015 where the pitching staff led the league in strikeouts (1,161). He was also the pitching coach for short-season Single-A Staten Island in 2014, helping Staten Island pitchers lead the NYPL in K/9.0IP (9.11). He made his professional coaching debut in 2013 as pitching coach for the GCL Yankees 2. Norton was originally selected by the Yankees in the seventh round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft. He played for the Tampa Yankees for parts of 2009 and 2010. Tom Slater enters his eighth season as a coach or instructor in the Yankees organization and his second with Tampa. He most recently served as the Yankees' minor league hitting instructor in 2013 and 2014and was Double-A Trenton's hitting coach in 2012, helping the Thunder lead the Eastern League in home runs and slugging percentage. He managed short-season Single-A Staten Island in 2011, winning the NYPL Championship. He also served as the GCL Yankees manager in 2009 and 2010, leading the team to a first-place finish in '09. Prior to joining the Yankees, he spent four seasons (2005-08) as the head coach at Auburn University. Antonio Pacheco enters his first season with Tampa after making his professional coaching debut in 2015 with GCL Yankees 1. He played in the Cuban National League from 1983-2001, batting .334 (2,356-for-7,045) with 1,258R, 366 doubles, 63 triples, 284HR and 1,304RBI in 1,853 games. He was a five-time Cuban National Series Champion as a player andis a two-time Olympic gold medalist (1992, 1996). Michael Becker begins his fifth season as a trainer in the Yankees organization and third with Tampa. He worked with Single-A Charleston in 2013 and short-season Single-A Staten Island in 2012. He previously worked as an athletic training student intern at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes- Barre during the 2010 season and graduated from Ithaca College with a B.S. in athletic training in 2011. Joe Siara enters his fourth season as a strength and conditioning coach in the Yankees organization and his third with Tampa. He spent 2013 with short-season Single-A Staten Island. Siara graduated in 2006 from Indiana University with a degree in kinesiology and exercise science. In 2008, he received a master's degree in human performance from the University of Florida.

Dorante Returns for Third Season as RiverDogs Skipper as Yankees Unveil 2016 Staff

Dorante Returns for Third Season as RiverDogs Skipper as Yankees Unveil 2016 Coaching Staff

Colbrunn returns as hitting coach as Pope named pitching coach

CHARLESTON, SC – The New York Yankees have announced that Luis Dorante, who guided the Charleston RiverDogs the past two seasons, will return as the club’s manager in 2016.


Dorante becomes the first manager to return for a third consecutive season since Torre Tyson guided the RiverDogs from 2007-09.


“It’s wonderful, Dorante said of his return to Charleston. “I’m very happy to be back for the third year. Last year, I enjoyed it here big time.”

“My family enjoys Charleston and being around the stadium,” he added. “The facilities are nice, and the atmosphere, along with the people of Charleston, are phenomenal.

“Our fans are great as they’re always on top of things regarding who is doing well. They give us good feedback.”

Prior to joining the RiverDogs in 2014, Dorante served as the bullpen coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2008-10 and managed 11 seasons in the minor leagues. His first RiverDogs team in 2014 notched a 71-69 record while last year Charleston finished 66-74.


Dorante was the first base coach for the Trenton Thunder, the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate, in 2012 and ‘13, and he also skippered the Aguilas de Zulia to a 34-29 mark in the Venezuelan Winter League during the 2013 offseason, good for second place. A native of Falcon, Venezuela, he spent six seasons as a player in the Boston Red Sox organization prior to beginning his coaching career.


Born on October 25, 1968, Dorante appeared in 221 games over six seasons in the Red Sox farm system. A right-handed batter, he primarily caught, but also made appearances at first base, third base and in the outfield. Dorante compiled a career batting average of .216 with 32 doubles.


After retiring following the 1993 season, Dorante joined the Montreal Expos organization in 1994 as an international scout. The next year he began his managerial career when he steered the Expos’ Gulf Coast League team to a 21-35 record. He has managed in five different leagues over his 11 seasons at the helm, including the South Atlantic League in 1998 when he guided the now-defunct Cape Fear Crocs to an 80-61 finish.


Joining the staff as the team’s hitting coach is former RiverDogs manager and hitting coach Greg Colbrunn. A veteran of 13 major league seasons as a player, Colbrunn, who resides in nearby Mt. Pleasant, interrupted his RiverDogs stint with a two-year stretch (20013-14) as the hitting coach for the Boston Red Sox, including their World Series championship year in 2013.


The 47-year-old Colbrunn spent seven of the last nine years with the RiverDogs, serving five seasons as the hitting coach from 2007-09 and 2011-12, and one campaign as the club’s manager in 2010.


Selected by Montreal in the sixth round of the 1987 draft out of Fontana (CA) High School as a catcher, Colbrunn hit .289 (801-for-2,769) with 155 doubles, 12 triples, 98 home runs, 422 RBI, 337 runs, 170 walks and 29 stolen bases over 992 career big league games with the Expos (1992-93), Marlins (1994-96), Twins (1997), Braves (1997-98), Rockies (1998), Diamondbacks (1999-2002, ’04) and Mariners (2003) while appearing primarily at first base.


The former infielder spent 13 seasons in the major leagues with stints in Montreal, Florida, Minnesota, Atlanta, Arizona, Colorado and Seattle. He won a World Series ring playing for the Diamondbacks in 2001 when the team upset the New York Yankees. He collected his second ring with the Red Sox in 2013.


Justin Pope joins Dorante’s staff after spending last season as the pitching coach for the Pulaski Yankees in the Appalachian League where he mentored the Baby Bombers to a league best 3.08 ERA. Pope also brings two years of experience as a manager under his belt, serving as the skipper for the Staten Island Yankees of the New York-Penn League from 2012-13 where his teams compiled a 64-86 record. Pope began his coaching career in Staten Island in 2010 and in Double-A Trenton in 2011.


As a player, the West Palm Beach, FL native compiled a 38-34 record with a 3.34 ERA over eight minor league seasons with the Cardinals, Yankees and Phillies organizations, reaching as high as Triple-A. A member of the University of Central Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, Pope was named an All-American in 2001before being taken 28th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals in the MLB Amateur Draft. Pope still stands as the Knights’ all-time leader in career wins (32) and strikeouts (335).


Travis Chapman returns for his second season with the RiverDogs and fourth as a coach in the Yankees system. The Jacksonville, FL native enters his second season in Charleston as the defensive coach after previously making his managerial debut with the GCL Yankees in 2014 and leading the club to a division best 38-22 record.


Chapman spent eight seasons in the minor leagues as a player, highlighted by one major league appearance for the Phillies in 2003. Over his career, he hit .286 with 41 home runs and 286 RBI in 506 career games for the Phillies, Royals, Reds and Pirates organizations, appearing primarily as a third baseman. Chapman attended Mississippi State University from 1997-2000, where set school records for career doubles (71), sacrifice flies (22) and hit-by-pitches (44), as well as the single-season hit-by-pitch record (19).


Michel Hernandez will guide the catchers on Dorante’s staff in 2016, marking his fourth year in the Yankees organization after he served as the defensive coach in Double-A Trenton last season. Hernandez spent his first two years as a coach with the GCL Yankees after a 15 year playing career that included 45 games in the major league during stints with the Yankees in 2003 and the Tampa Bay Rays from 2008-09.


A native of La Habana, Cuba, Hernandez signed as an undrafted free agent with the Yankees in 1998 before compiling a .257 average with 35 home runs and 40 RBI across 15 minor league seasons. He racked up a .237 batting average with one big league home run and 12 RBI in 127 plate appearances in the Show.


Additionally, Jimmy Downam returns for his third year as the RiverDogs’ trainer while Anthony Velazquez, who also was with Charleston the last two seasons, returns as the strength and conditioning coach.


Harris Seletsky has been named Charleston’s clubhouse manager after holding the same position in Pulaski last season. Cody Cockrum joins the RiverDogs staff as the video manager.


The RiverDogs, the Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees, begin their season on April 7 with a seven-game homestand that features the in-state rival Columbia Fireflies (April 7-10) and the Asheville Tourists (April 11-13). Ticket information may be secured by contact the box office at 843/577-DOGS (3647) or online at www.riverdogs.com.

Staten Island Yankees Announce 2016 Coaching Staff

STATEN ISLAND YANKEES ANNOUNCE 2016 COACHES

STATEN ISLAND- As Spring Training approaches, the Staten Island Yankees have been assigned the following field staff by the New York Yankees:



Dave Bialas – Manager

Bialas enters his second season in the New York Yankees organization after managing the Tampa Yankees to a 66-72 record in 2015. A seasoned veteran of professional baseball, Bialas’ career began in the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization after being drafted in the 4thround in 1972 out of Bellaire High School in Houston, Texas. The native Texan played ten seasons in the Cardinals’ system, reaching as high as AAA. Bialas also managed AAA Springfield/Louisville (STL, 1982-83 & ‘86), AA Arkansas (STL, 1984 & ’90), Single A St. Petersburg (STL, 1985-89 & ’91-92), AA West Tenn (CHC, 2000-01) and AAA Iowa (CHC, 2012). Bialas has a wide range of coaching experience outside of managing minor league clubs as he spent time as the bullpen coach for the San Diego Padres (1993-94) and Chicago Cubs (1995-99), third base coach for the Cubs (2002), minor league field coordinator for the Cubs (2003-11), and minor league coordinator for the Atlanta Braves (2013-14). The highlight of Bialas’ managing career came in 2000 as he led the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx to a league championship for the first and only time.

Eric Duncan – Hitting Coach

Duncan enters his second season as hitting coach for the Baby Bombers after guiding Staten Island to NYPL top-four finish is both runs (344) and home runs (32) en route to the McNamara Division title in 2015. Prior to coaching in professional baseball, Duncan served as a volunteer coach at Seton Hall for three years while pursuing his degree in political science. Duncan was drafted by the New York Yankees in the first round, 27th overall, in the 2003 draft. Duncan returns to Staten Island after a short stint with the Baby Bombers in 2003. In only 14 games with Staten Island in 2003, Duncan drove in 13 runs while batting .373 with two home runs, four triples and five doubles. The highly touted prospect earned the honor of Arizona Fall League MVP in 2005, a year that featured future MLB stars Matt Kemp, Joey Votto and Adam Jones. In 2006, Duncan was named Top Rookie for the New York Yankees in Spring Training. The New Jersey native made it as high as AAA in his career playing for four different organizations: New York Yankees (2003-09), Atlanta Braves (2010), St. Louis Cardinals (2011) and Kansas City Royals (2012).

Teuris Olivares – Defensive Coach

Olivares enters his second season as defensive coach of the Staten Island Yankees after helping the Baby Bombers reach the NYPL Championship in 2015. Olivares began his professional baseball career as a player in the New York Yankees organization in 1996. The Dominican Republic native worked his way through the system until 2004, reaching as high as AAA. Olivares then played independent baseball from 2005-10 for Newark, Camden, Somerset and the Road Warriors before rejoining the Yankees organization as a coach for the Dominican Summer League Yankees from 2011-14.

***

“I’m proud to be a Yankee, no doubt about it. It’s a world class organization. I’m looking forward to being in Staten Island and working with the younger guys, including the college draftees. The biggest pleasure I have is working with the young players and having the chance to teach them how to play Yankees baseball.” – Dave Bialas, Manager

***

Yankees Have Some Competition for Jeff Samardzija

After the 2015 season ended the Hot Stove season began and almost immediately many free agents were linked to the New York Yankees, none more than Chicago White Sox right-hander Jeff Samardzija. Samardzija, a Notre Dame football standout and former member of the Oakland Athletics and Chicago Cubs, was offered a qualifying offer that he declined this offseason thus attaching draft pick compensation to any team that signs him whether it be the New York Yankees, the early favorites, or another team. Another team like maybe his former team, the Chicago Cubs.

According to CBS Local News in Chicago the Cubs Theo Epstein met with Samardzija for dinner last week and presumably spoke about where he will be throwing his 200 innings in 2016. Samardzija is currently residing in Arizona during the offseason and is coming off a somewhat disappointing contract year where he posted an 11-13 record with a 4.96 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. What Samardzija lacks on the back of his baseball card though he more than makes up with projections, durability, the lack of miles on his arm and his ceiling with the right pitching coach, like a Larry Rothschild.

Samardzija spent the first six-and-a-half seasons with the Cubs, who drafted him in the 2006 MLB First Year Players Draft, before being traded in 2014 in the deal that sent shortstop and top prospect Addison Russell to Chicago. Samardzija has worked with Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio before, for two-and-a-half seasons to be exact, and had his best seasons under Bosio so Chicago is thinking that they can get him back to the pitching success he had in 2013 and 2014 if signed.

This will be an interesting negotiation since Samardzija already turned down a contract extension worth a reported $80 million from the Cubs and Epstein before he was traded. Stay tuned because the Yankees just got some serious competition for the right-hander from Notre Dame.

Meet a Prospect: Mike Harkey

The New York Yankees finalized their coaching staff this week with the official additions of Alan Cockrell as the hitting coach, Marcus Thames as the assistant hitting coach and Mike Harkey’s return to the Yankees bullpen coach position. Harkey is said to be a close friend of manager Joe Girardi’s and has spent each of the last two seasons in Arizona acting as the Diamondbacks pitching coach. Harkey was not re-signed by Arizona and was allowed to hit free agency before coming back home to the Bronx, and we officially welcome him back today.

This is Meet a Prospect: the Mike Harkey Edition.

Michael Anthony Harkey was born on October 25, 1966 and spent his college years playing for California State University (CSU) Fullerton. While playing for the CSU Fullerton Titans Harkey, as a pitcher, caught the eyes of the Chicago Cubs who drafted him in the first round of the 1987 MLB First Year Players Draft officially beginning his professional career. During Harkey’s generally uneventful playing career he made starts in a number of uniforms including playing for the Chicago Cubs, the Colorado Rockies, the Oakland Athletics, the California Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Harkey all told appeared in 131 games during the 1988, 1990 through 1995, and 1997 seasons. Shoulder and arm injuries derailed and plagued his career before he attempted a cartwheel in the Wrigley Field outfield and severely damaged his knee and essentially ended his career on September 6, 1992.

After Harkey’s injury he began his coaching career when he accepted a position with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2000 as their pitching coach. Harkey continued his minor league coaching career as the pitching coach of the Fort Wayne Wizards in 2001 and 2003 and as the pitching coach for the Lake Elsinore Storm in 2002 and 2004 before coaching for the Mobile BayBears in 2005. Harkey coached the Iowa Cubs in 2005 before taking his first Major League position in 2006 when the Miami Marlins made him their bullpen coach.

Harkey followed manager Joe Girardi to the Yankees to be their bullpen coach in 2008 and was an instrumental part of the 2009 World Series run for the Bronx Bombers. All told Harkey was the bullpen coach for the Yankees for six seasons before jumping to the Arizona Diamondbacks for the 2014 season to serve as their pitching coach. Harkey was fired and returned home this season, and we welcome him back. Do what you do Hark!

Remembering Yankees of the Past: Ron Guidry

Ronald Ames Guidry was born on August 28, 1950 in Lafayette, Louisiana. Guidry spent his college years pitching for the university of Southwestern Louisiana (now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) where he earned the attention from Major League scouts, but no scouts were more interested than those of the New York Yankees. When all was said and done Louisian Lightning, or Gator whichever nickname you prefer, pitched 14 seasons in the Bronx from 1975 to 1988 before also spending time as the team’s pitching coach from 2006 to 2007. Gator was a Yankee through and through and today we remember a great Yankee of the past, Mr. Ron Guidry.

Guidry was bounced around between the minor league and the Major Leagues, the bullpen and the starting rotation and from the trade block off the trade block and back on again from 1975 to 1977 before getting a full-time shot in 1978. Guidry almost quit baseball due to the shuffling back and forth and the constant trade rumors surrounding him but it was his wife that eventually talked him into staying in the game and staying in the Bronx. Guidry’s wife didn’t marry a quitter and Guidry didn’t quit much to the delight of the Yankees. See New York called Guidry up in 1977 as a relief pitcher before moving him to the starting rotation where he began the 1978 season. Guidry contemplated quitting the game with his 1977 World Series ring in hand but instead used that fire to lead the Yankees pitching staff to a second World Series victory in 1978. Guidry went 4-0 in the postseason with three complete games in five starts allowing just nine earned runs in 37.1 innings pitched.

Guidry was on the map and the Yankees radar after striking out a Yankees-record 18 batters in a single game against the California Angels on June 17^th and especially after finishing the season 25-3 with an unheard of 1.74 ERA. Guidry won the American League Cy Young Award in 1978 and finished second in the American League MVP race to the Boston Red Sox slugger Jim Rice, Guidry went from almost quitting the game to almost becoming the first pitcher to win the MVP Award in Major League history all in one calendar year, not bad for a boy from Louisiana and not bad for a team that needed all 25 of his victories to even make the postseason. Guidry’s 25^th victory came at the expense of the Boston Red Sox in that famous one-game playoff. Most know it as the Bucky Dent game but Guidry remembers it as the game that stole the heart of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

Guidry continued to pitch well despite the Bronx burning down around him and despite the collective cast of characters the Yankees threw out there were less than effective. Guidry quietly won five consecutive Gold Glove Awards for the struggling Yankees and compiled a 113-57 record in the five seasons after his World Series heroics of 1977 and 1978. Arm problems hit Guidry in 1981 and a shoulder surgery that would not improve his condition ultimately ended his career with the Yankees on July 12, 1989.

When Guidry retired he has a 1978 Cy Young Award under his belt along with two World Series rings, one Sporting News AL Pitcher and Major League Player of the Year Award (1978), four AL Sporting News All-Star teams (1978, 1981, 1983 and 1985) and finished in the Top 10 in the Cy Young Award voting six times from 1977-1985. Guidry was named the co-captain of the New York Yankees alongside Willie Randolph from March 4, 1986 until the day he retired in 1989 and even had his number 49 retired by the Yankees on Ron Guidry Day. Guidry’s plaque that he received on August 23, 2003 stated that Louisiana Lightning was a “dominating pitcher and a respected leader” along with the words “True Yankee” engraved on the piece. Guidry lived and breathed the New York Yankees and would be remembered as so for the rest of time.

Guidry made his return to the team in 2006 but not as a pitcher but as a pitching coach under then manager Joe Torre. Guidry was named the pitching coach that replaced Mel Stottlemyre and under his tenure the Yankees enjoyed a mixed bag of results. In 2005 the Yankees staff ERA was 4.52 and under Gator it dropped to 4.41 in 2006 although that same number climbed back to 4.49 in 2007 which was good for just 17^th in Major League Baseball that season. Torre and the Yankees mutually decided not to reunite for the 2008 season and Guidry’s tenure as the Yankees pitching coach ended as well that season as new manager Joe Girardi did not offer him a position on his staff. Guidry has returned to the team as a spring training instructor but seems content being out of the game and out of the Bronx Zoo that he called home for so many years.

Guidry was one of those great Yankees that we don’t hear nearly enough about because the team was so bad during the 19080’s. Guidry is a talent and a personality that will likely never be emulated again, at least during my lifetime, and should be celebrated as so. This has been Remembering Yankees of the Past, the Ron Guidry edition.