The New York Yankees on Thursday began making changes to the major-league coaching staff, opting not to renew the contracts of hitting coach Marcus Thames, assistant hitting coach P.J. Pilittere, and third-base coach Phil Nevin, according to Lindsey Adler of The Athletic.
The Yankees this season won 92 games and made the postseason. However, they were bounced by the arch-rival Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Game, which means they still haven’t won a pennant or a World Series since 2009. Specific to these changes, the Yankee offense this season ranked a disappointing 10th in the AL in runs scored and seventh in OPS. They also led all of MLB in outs at home plate, which at least partially reflects the decisions of Nevin as the third base coach.
As for Thames, he confirmed the news to Brenday Kuty and said: “They made a decision. I just hate that we didn’t win a championship. But they want to go in a different direction, and I guess I wasn’t the voice that they thought to get us over the hump.”
The status of manager Aaron Boone remains uncertain. His contract is up at the end of the current postseason, and as of yet he and the Yankees have not agreed to a new one. The turnover among the coaching staff, however, may be a tell that Boone is likely to return, albeit with a shortened leash. It was previously reported that owner Hal Steinbrenner is leaning toward giving Boone another season at the helm.
In four years on the job, Boone has guided the Yankees to a 328-218 (.601) record with four postseason appearances, including a division title in 2019. In the playoffs, however, the Yankees under Boone are just 11-11. They’ve advanced past the Division Series only once.
