Yankees Name Sean Casey New Hitting Coach

July 11, 2023

On Sunday night, the New York Yankees announced that hitting coach Dillon Lawson would be relieved of his duties, effective immediately. The decision marked the first time in Brian Cashman’s 25-year tenure as the Yankees’ GM that a coach has been dismissed midseason. The announcement came after the Yankees dropped two of three at Yankee Stadium to the Chicago Cubs, marking the end of a disappointing first half of the season. The Bombers are currently on the outside looking in of the American League playoff picture, and in fourth place in the AL East.

Sean Casey Named New Hitting Coach

Cashman made it clear that the next hitting coach would come from outside the organization. He wasted no time finding the man for the job. On Monday afternoon Ken Rosenthal reported that Sean Casey will be the next hitting coach of the Yankees. Casey, who had been serving as an analyst at MLB Network played 12 years in the big leagues, earning three All-Star selections. He is also a member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

Struggles Under Lawson

Lawson was the Yankees’ hitting coach for a season and a half, having been promoted from his role as Minor League hitting coordinator prior to last season. Lawson was known for his “Hit strikes hard approach” which failed to yield results over the past two seasons. While the Yankees got off to a hot start with him at the helm, the offense faltered down the stretch last season and has been below average this year. As a team this season, the Yankees rank 27th in OBP. and 13th in SLG. Currently, the only team with fewer hits than them is the Oakland A’s who are 25–67.

While Aaron Judge had historic success during Lawson’s tenure, he is known to use his own independent hitting coach away from the team. When looking at the rest of the teams numbers under Lawson outside of Judge, it is clear why the Yankees made the change. Below are the slash lines for non Aaron Judge Yankees in Lawson’s two seasons with the team:

2022- .233/.312/.395 (.707 OPS)

2023- .227/.293/.393 (.686 OPS)

What Casey Brings to the Table

For a team traditionally built around offensive firepower, these numbers represented a big step backwards. This likely did not play a significant role in the decision to let Lawson go. However, the press he received after Anthony Volpe’s recent swing change was certainly not positive. Volpe has been red hot the last few weeks following a long slump, crediting minor league teammate Austin Wells with helping him fix his swing. The meeting with Wells took place over a now famous Chicken Parm Dinner. While it is a very light hearted story, many Yankee fans and media members questioned why Lawson was unable to unlock the organizations top prospect. The fact that the issue was discovered by a Double-A prospect was not a good look either.

Lawson also didn’t do himself any favors among fans when he had this quote referring to Volpe earlier this year. “If he was hitting a reckless .200, there’s no chance you’d have confidence. But it’s a professional .200.” The fanbase wasn’t looking for a “professional .200” from their prized prospect and many people were not thrilled with Lawson’s quote.

Casey’s Hitting Approach

As for Sean Casey, he has only signed on for the remainder of the season. This offers the organization a chance to pivot this offseason if things don’t improve. Casey, a former teammate of Aaron Boone. He has no coaching experience but has been a very successful analyst for MLB Network. He has earned praise from both fans, and media members for his knowledge of hitting.

Casey represents a big change in philosophy for the organization, given he does not come from an analytical background. Casey was a lifetime .302 hitter, and was always a high OBP player, while not hitting for a ton of power. Lawson encouraged the Yankee hitters to attack pitches in the zone during his tenure. This resulted in a decline in walk rate. It also resulted in pitches seen per at bat since during his two year stint. Whether this current group of Yankees has the capability to make a deep playoff run remains to be seen. But for the first time in over two decades, the organization decided that a new voice was needed mid-season. The Yankees will open up the second half in Colorado on Friday night. They’ll have a new voice alongside Aaron Boone in the dugout.