12 July 2023
A new mayor is coming to New York City.
The Yankees will hire Sean Casey to be their new lead hitting coach. Casey’s deal is for the rest of the 2023 season.
The club fired Dillon Lawson on Sunday after less than two seasons in the same job. As of Sunday, the Yankees planned on retaining assistant hitting coaches Casey Dykes and Brad Wilkerson.
“I’m just really excited about having this opportunity in the second half to impact the guys in the lineup,” Casey said in a statement provided by the team. “The Yankees have a lot of professional hitters, and I’m looking forward to connecting with them and getting on the same page.”
Brian Cashman said that he wanted to venture outside the organization for Lawson’s replacement, and Casey meets that requirement. However, he has plenty of experience working with Aaron Boone, as the two played for the Reds from 1998-2003.
Cashman added that Lawson’s replacement would be in “lockstep” with the Yankees manager.
“For anyone that’s ever come in contact with him, his ability to inspire is one of his greatest gifts,” Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said, “and I can’t wait for him to tap into our players and help them reach their potential.”
While Casey, 49, has 12 years of playing experience with Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Boston, the Willingboro, New Jersey native has not worked as a major league coach before. Rather, he has been working as an analyst for MLB Network.
Casey, a lifetime .302/.367/.447 hitter whose career spanned from 1997-2008, inherits an offense that ranks 29th in hits (690), 28th in average (.231), 26th in on-base percentage (.300) and 21st in wRC+ this season. Those numbers have been even worse without Aaron Judge, who tore a ligament in his right big toe on June 3.
The Yankees are 14-17 since then. Over that stretch, they are last in hits (218), average (.218) and on-base-percentage (.288); 29th in RBI (105); 28th in runs (117); 27th in wRC+ (85); 26th in slugging (.379); 25th in fWAR (1.7); and 24th in K% (20.3).
While the Yankees hope replacing Lawson’s voice with Casey’s will turn things around, the team needs more consistent production from well-paid veterans like DJ LeMahieu, Josh Donaldson, Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton. The team would also be well-served by adding a bat or two before the trade deadline, rather than just waiting for Judge to recover. However, the expanded playoff picture will delay teams as they weigh whether to buy or sell.
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