New York Yankees: Three Options for pitching coach

The New York Yankees ushered in a new era at pitching coach with the firing of Larry Rothschild. Where do they go from here?

After manning the helm since 2011, the New York Yankees will have a new pitching coach. The club decided to let Larry Rothschild go on Monday after the New York Yankees had a rocky year on the mound.

The club struggled with their starting pitching for most of the season. Luis Severino being injured didn’t help and neither did Domingo German‘s domestic violence suspension, but J.A. Happ wasn’t the same after the club acquired him in 2018. James Paxton had his struggles, especially in the first inning. At one point, even Chad Green had to go down to AAA to get himself fixed.

The New York Yankees let go of most of their pitching coaches up and down the system. In fact, they only kept the pitching coach from AAA (more on that later). Back in June, the club hired Sam Briend, who was running Driveline, to be their director of pitching. It’s clear that a club that heavily values analytics is going even deeper into that with Briend being a part of the organization, considering what Driveline can do for pitchers based on the techniques and training that they use there.

To be a pitching coach in 2019, you have to have an understanding of the analytics. Rothschild clearly had to have an understanding of it and then had to combine that with the knowledge he already had. Part coach, part psychiatrist. That’s what coaching is in 2019.

Sometimes, it may help just to have a new voice in the room. Rothschild had been there for so long that maybe a change will be good for everyone involved. So where do the New York Yankees go from here for their next pitching coach? Here are three potential candidates.