Hiring Matt Blake as Pitching Coach Signals Totally New Direction for the Yankees
By Scott Rogust
The New York Yankees opted to move on from pitching coach Larry Rothschild, given their struggles on the mound this past season. Instead of opting for another seasoned veteran, the Yankees broke away from their familiar path.
On Thursday, the team signed Cleveland Indians pitching coordinator Matt Blake as their new pitching coach. Decidedly, it's a bold move that indicates a franchise ready to turn the page and try something new.
The New York Yankees are hiring Matt Blake as their new pitching coach, sources tell ESPN. Blake was previously a pitching coordinator with the Cleveland Indians, who continuously have churned out quality big league pitchers. He also has worked as an area scout for the Yankees.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 8, 2019
In contrast to the 65-year-old Rothschild, Blake is just 33-years-old, and is seen as a prodigy in the baseball community.
More importantly, Blake is a firm believer in the application of analytics, just like manager Aaron Boone. The Yankees had struggled in getting the most out of their young pitchers under Rothschild, and that's precisely what made Blake a logical hire.
The Indians promoted Matt Blake to their director of pitching development just two days ago. He’s highly regarded (obviously, since he’s now apparently the Yankees pitching coach) both at coaching and translating advanced data into terms pitchers can understand and utilize. https://t.co/jeLOXy91rh
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) November 8, 2019
Blake has worked with various minor league pitchers in the Indians organization, and translated advanced data into terms that up-and-comers could digest. Boone will be hoping he can do the very same with the Yankee staff, which battled through inconstencies this year and fell short of their championship goals.
A pitcher who worked in the #Indians minor leagues with Matt Blake who is now the #Yankees pitching coach called him “terrific” and praised: "great understanding of analytics but can interpret and make it easy to understand and apply."
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) November 8, 2019
Cleveland's pitching rotation took a massive hit with the absences of Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco, but Blake's work with the likes of Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale helped round out the rotation nicely.
Blake's proudest project this season, however, was Shane Bieber. In 34 games, Bieber accumulated a 15-8 record and a 3.28 ERA. More importantly, this relationship helped propel Bieber to the All-Star Game, where he was named MVP.
Just received a little tidbit about new #Yankees PC Matt Blake...
— Max Wildstein (@MaxWildstein) November 8, 2019
When Blake was YD Red Sox PC in ‘15, Shane Bieber was non-prospect on team. Worked well with him there (1.92 ERA, 18.2 IP); Blake was one of ppl pushing for CLE to draft him... then oversaw his development w/ CLE.
The old-school mentality of Larry Rothschild just wasn't translating with the relatively young Yankees pitching corps. Swooping in and hiring Matt Blake just days after his promotion to director of pitching development in Cleveland was the smart move by the New York Yankees, and should be expected to pay dividends for them in 2020.