For the first time in his quarter-century as a GM, Brian Cashman made am in-season move on his coaching staff on Sundat, firing hitting coach Dillon Lawson after the Yankees finished the first half in the bottom third in MLB in several major offensive categories.
A decision he’s never made in 26 years, but one he approached Hal Steinbrenner about via phone call on Saturday, getting the owner’s blessing before deciding to part ways with Lawson after Sunday’s first half-ending loss.
“Ultimately, it’s my decision to make a change here. I’ve never been not willing to make an in-season change, but this is my first, and I don’t make these decisions lightly; after careful consideration, I decided as we move forward that this was necessary,” Cashman said in a conference call just before the start of Sunday’s MLB Draft. “Our offensive has struggled mightily, more so than I can recall, and I feel we’re best served changing things moving into the second half, where we have a short window to try to re-achieve all of our capabilities. I feel like finding someone else to take that top seat on the offensive side is in our best interest.”
There have been several areas to pin the Yankees’ struggles on offensively, from a group of veterans underperforming to injuries (especially the now month-long loss of Aaron Judge) to things as simple as fans wondering how Austin Wells and a plate of chicken parm helped Anthony Volpe tweak his swing and get back on the path of success, and not the team’s hitting coaches.
Could be all of the above – Cashman never talked to the players about it, saying he would never put them in that position – but one thing was clear in the GM’s view: don’t blame the messenger, in this case Lawson, completely, but it’s time for a different message.
“Even though I’m making a change, I put the roster together,” Cashman said. “We’ve had injuries and there are a lot of different reasons, so it’s not just the messenger in this situation; there’s a lot of stuff occurring real time you have to get through, but I have made the decision regardless we’ll be best served to have a different messenger going forward. It doesn’t mean I’m right, but it’s the decision I’m making; It’s a blame game I guess, and I can’t run from that in making a change, but I don’t want to blame Dillon completely. Maybe the results won’t prove Dillon was the issue in this case as the messenger, and it doesn’t mean the offense couldn’t have improved organically.”
Cashman made it seem as if, even though his conversation with ownership didn’t come until this weekend, he has felt he might be in this position for quite a while, and again stressed that even though he never had done it, doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have – this, however, was the time.
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“Normally, when we set a plan in place, we’re all in this together, and I’m proud that’s the case – but I’m also in the service business, to put our players in the best position to succeed, and I feel like as we move forward, we’ll be best served to find someone with a new voice and fresh perspective to try to erase some of the tough memories,” Cashman said. “If we select the right person, our players will hopefully benefit from the change. It’s not all on our offense, our record says what we are collectively right now, but I feel I have to make the move in the best interest of our organization.”
And, in praising Lawson for his efforts, Cashman did say this move doesn’t mean he is worried the message of the organization’s offensive philosophy won’t carry over to the MLB club, or that this means Lawson can’t be a successful MLB coach.
“No worries on those – it’s a different animal at this level, and I’ve seen many people make that transition,” Cashman said. “It’s not an easy one to make, and there are a lot of adjustments to make so your info can flow easier.”
Still, in this case, the adjustment is that Lawson is out, and the GM is hopeful that when the second half begins in Colorado on Friday, there will be a new hitting coach in place.
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