2021-2022 Off Season Thread

[primetime714]

So I understand Beltran's role - but will Cone be doing any Yankee games in addition to him being an analyst for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball?

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This isn't related, but I was just wondering - don't the Yankees need a hitting coach that can speak Spanish to some of these international players?

Yes, Cone will still work Yankee games, but far fewer than he did this past season.

[HelloNewman]

Beltran will be working 36 games for YES. I wonder if they'd let him work Astros games since Michael Kay is not shy about the Astros cheating scandal and Beltran's part in it. I suspect he's not scheduled to work those games.

If they do put Beltran on the Astro games, Kay will pull his punches. A real tough guy with callers on his radio show but on YES, he'll toe the company line. Always has.

[Strategerie]

I understand marginal gains. But you don't get marginal gains just talking about them.

Again, I'll ask, what's the "how"? Even one example? Just looking for something more substantial that "we're going to hit better by hitting better".

Here are the examples I think I've heard:

1. Don't expand the zone, not even on two strikes. Really go all in on knowing the zone and don't stray from that regardless of the situation. That's the " hit strikes" part

2. Figure out what your A swing is and execute that swing on a consistent basis. It might be your 2 strike swing where you shorten the swing or it might be your early count swing. Thats the "hard" part of "hit strikes hard"

Obviously any philosophy is almost certainly more complicated and nuanced than 3 words (or the few phrases that I offered). The approach seems to be against situational hitting, which I'm sure will be to the dismay of many. I don't agree or disagree with the philosophy. He does seem to have gotten good results as a hitting coach (small sample) so I'm hopeful.

The nature of strategy is to have a clear approach that is focusing on something clear (in this case, seemingly consistency of execution) at the expense of something else that clearly has importance (in this case, seemingly situational hitting). Any good strategy should be making a clear choice and this approach seems to qualify as a real (and not a wishy washy) strategy. We will see how effective it is. I find it unlikely that one strategy will work for all so, hopefully, while this is a core philosophy, having 2 assistant coaches leaves a lot of room for tailoring. I'm surprised that it took teams this long to have a bunch of assistant hitting coaches.

[sjb23]

Some topics for discussion:

Have the Yanks given up on Luke Voit? If they have, how high up on the list of priorities is replacing him?

Rank these replacement options: 1-Matt Olson 2-Freddie Freeman 3-Anthony Rizzo 4-Josh Bell 5-Other OR Keep Luke Voit (no replacement necessary)
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How will the Yanks re-construct their infield? Lots of options, but no real everyday shortstop, and no real backup SS that's ready IMO - I don't think Peraza Volpe or Cabrera are ready to be depended on in any capacity @ the ML level in 2022. IMO, in a perfect world one of them might be a good September call up.

I don't like the options of Gio being a starting or even backup SS - I'd rather see him @ 3B. I'd rather see DL @ 2B than 3B or 1B. But if DJ is @ 2B, then there really isn't a spot for Gleyber. Could he indeed be traded?
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Is the plan for the 4th OFer (behind Judge, Hicks and Gallo) going to be to choose between Ender Inciarte, Estevan Florial and....Brett Gardner? Or is Gallo on the trading block?
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[Bauer]

Meanwhile, Carlos Beltran is waiting in the wings.

Taking over for Buck S., who got promoted to the crosstown job.

[Bauer]

Sherman's thoughts of what Yankees will do when the lockout ends.

https://nypost.com/2022/01/29/the-fr...-lockout-ends/

As he puts it:

Steinbrenner should feel pressure. Of one title this century. Of one division title in the past nine years. And of a shadow — no, not of his late father, George, but from Steve Cohen across town. He might just take the Mets’ payroll to $300 million. Steinbrenner could act like he would be indifferent to the attention that would draw. It would be that: an act.

I sense that he's getting tired of Hal. I agree he "should feel [the] pressure" of Cohen. However, I don't agree that Hal feels no pressure from his father's "shadow." At a certain point, the adopted persona of the reasonable-and-rational-Organization-Man-son gives way to the actuality of the failed son. Someone might ask, "But one title in 13 years--what's wrong with that?" Yeah, right: nothing--unless you're the owner of the NY Yankees and have not only your Old Man's titles to worry about but those of owners going back to Col Jake.

[Mixwell]

As he puts it:

I sense that he's getting tired of Hal. I agree he "should feel [the] pressure" of Cohen. However, I don't agree that Hal feels no pressure from his father's "shadow." At a certain point, the adopted persona of the reasonable-and-rational-Organization-Man-son gives way to the actuality of the failed son. Someone might ask, "But one title in 13 years--what's wrong with that?" Yeah, right: nothing--unless you're the owner of the NY Yankees and have not only your Old Man's titles to worry about but those of owners going back to Col Jake.

Hal Steinbrenner is your prototypical trust fund baby. He's never earned a thing in his life, never had to work and has never faced adversity because he simply had to lay back with his feet up and inherit daddy's millions. He does not care one iota about any of this.

[ymike673]

Hal Steinbrenner is your prototypical trust fund baby. He's never earned a thing in his life, never had to work and has never faced adversity because he simply had to lay back with his feet up and inherit daddy's millions. He does not care one iota about any of this.

Unfortunately 100% true.

[Tock Ada Shot]

Hal Steinbrenner is your prototypical trust fund baby. He's never earned a thing in his life, never had to work and has never faced adversity because he simply had to lay back with his feet up and inherit daddy's millions. He does not care one iota about any of this.

Absolutely true and totally depressing.

[Zimmer's Helmet]

I usually agree with Z H's judgments, but not in this case. Rizzo would likely be fine for the three years, if he takes that offer and Cashman indeed offers it. This obsession w/ Olson on the basis of, really, a very good year and possibly promising more doesn't deserve emptying out (already emptied out a bit last season) our prospects. Such a trade doesn't work for me. I understand others thinking it does, but it just doesn''t for me.

His declining bat speed and performance during the last few years says otherwise. It would shocking if he suddenly reversed that decline.

[ThePinStripes]

I understand marginal gains. But you don't get marginal gains just talking about them.

Again, I'll ask, what's the "how"? Even one example? Just looking for something more substantial that "we're going to hit better by hitting better".

I think it's pretty technical and probably not something they want to publicly share. Even the worst hitter on the team is a very refined hitter. In the broad scheme of things, you're talking about very minor differences in approach between even a very good and very poor major league player. Very minor tweaks. I mean, they're pros. They aren't going to have glaring fundamental problems. Very very very small things get exploited.

I have a close personal friend who is an NFL pro-bowler and he was just telling me about how the differences between the best NFL teams and worst NFL teams are extremely small. But that's what pros do. They turn a 1% difference into a blow out. Pros play for a battle of inches.
He was actually telling me about why Brady was (is?) so good. He has studied the hell out of your defense, knows every move and very very tiny mistake or weakness it has and will exploit it. You know what he's going to do and you still can't stop it.
If you look at motorsports, to the naked eye you wouldn't even be able to see what the fastest driver and slowest driver are doing differently. Their lines and brake points would look virtually identical. But they're obviously not and all those little tiny things turn into a big margin of victory.

I dont really fault him for not telling the press their exact strategy to gain an advantage. Aside from likely going over 99.99% of fans' heads, it's probably not something you'd want to share.

[newhampfan]

His declining bat speed and performance during the last few years says otherwise. It would shocking if he suddenly reversed that decline.

Admitted, Z H, but I think Rizzo's declension 1) still leaves him better than our other 1B option (the RH Voit) and 2) it will be modified by the YS right-field porch and his being a proven canny LH hitter. Plus he's tres cheaper than Olson would be re our already raided prospect scene, I'd rather we'd aim to get a CF like Suzuki after Hal pays off Judge as well as lesser bucks on Rizzo than splurge $$ on a SS and expend prospects like Volpe, Wells, and even a Lockeridge (never mind Dominguez) on Olson. Probably only worth whatever my two cents amounts to these days, but hey, that's what forums like this one are all about: opinions clashing like mad.

[Zimmer's Helmet]

Admitted, Z H, but I think Rizzo's declension 1) still leaves him better than our other 1B option (the RH Voit) and 2) it will be modified by the YS right-field porch and his being a proven canny LH hitter. Plus he's tres cheaper than Olson would be re our already raided prospect scene, I'd rather we'd aim to get a CF like Suzuki after Hal pays off Judge as well as lesser bucks on Rizzo than splurge $$ on a SS and expend prospects like Volpe, Wells, and even a Lockeridge (never mind Dominguez) on Olson. Probably only worth whatever my two cents amounts to these days, but hey, that's what forums like this one are all about: opinions clashing like mad.

At age 27, Olson projects to be a more productive hitter than Rizzo moving forward, very likely a 40+ HR hitter with elite OBP playing 81 games at YSIII. He provides elite D at 1B and will be a cheaper option from a salary standpoint for the next couple of years.

With Hal operating this team on a strict budget, the extra savings allows this team to address other needs on this roster.

I have zero concerns about building a package around Peraza and Austin - both are easily dispensable and replaceable considering they still have Volpe and Austin is a poor defender at C.

[CyYoung4Vazquez]

Unfortunately 100% true.

Making matters worse he seems to have this menality that none of the above is true. He is utterly tone deaf.

[newhampfan]

At age 27, Olson projects to be a more productive hitter than Rizzo moving forward, very likely a 40+ HR hitter with elite OBP playing 81 games at YSIII. He provides elite D at 1B and will be a cheaper option from a salary standpoint for the next couple of years.

With Hal operating this team on a strict budget, the extra savings allows this team to address other needs on this roster.

I have zero concerns about building a package around Peraza and Austin - both are easily dispensable and replaceable considering they still have Volpe and Austin is a poor defender at C.

We can pick up Olson on his second go-round (FA) two years hence (when Rizzo's dying of old age, according to your vision, which may be right, who knows?) if he proves to be as great as you think. Bah, humbug. Let him prove his super merit before Hal has the guts or money to go after him in earnest. I dislike the "penny wise pound foolish" mode of advancing a team, i.e., take the mere two years now and surrender your possible five- or six-year future in the meantime. A non-in-his-prime Olson for only two years? Not good enough for me. I want more.