LISTEN: Writer Bryan Hoch Explains How Nick Swisher, Waffle House Helped In Development Of Young Yankees

Nick Swisher isn't exactly a name that springs to mind when you think of the Yankees' success these days. But maybe it should be.Bryan Hoch, the Yankees beat writer for MLB.com, stopped by the WFAN studios Monday to promote his new book "The Baby Bombers." He told a story about how Swisher, who played for the Yankees from 2009-12, has helped out a lot of the players currently making their marks in the majors.

"In 2016, Nick Swisher was hanging on. He was really trying to get one last call-up to the big leagues," Hoch told "The Afternoon Drive." "The Braves had released him. The Yankees signed him, sent him down to Scranton. And what he told his teammates down there -- guys like Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez and Luis Cessa and a whole bunch of other names that Yankee fans know -- he said, 'Hey, bro, I'm going to be at Waffle House every morning 8:30. I will be there. I will pay your bill. Come eat with me. We'll talk baseball. We'll talk about what New York is like. We'll talk about whatever you want. But I will be there. I'm accessible.

"And those guys took him up on it. And so they talked a lot about what life was going to be, and I think Nick Swisher deserves a lot of credit along the way."

To listen to the interview, which covers plenty of other Yankees-related topics, click on the audio player above.