It is wild to think New York Yankees executive Brian Cashman still has not done certain things since he took over as the team’s general manager and senior vice president in 1998, but he did complete a first on Sunday.
Cashman made the first midseason change of his tenure with the Yankees. The team announced it had relived hitting coach Dillon Lawson of his duties following the team’s loss to the Chicago Cubs.
“It has been well documented that I have been reluctant in the past to make changes to our coaching staff in the middle of a season,” Cashman said in a statement. “I am a big believer that successes and failures are collective efforts. However, I ultimately felt that a change was needed and that a new voice overseeing our hitting operations would give us the best chance to perform closer to our capabilities as we move forward into the second half of our season.
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Dillon Lawson poses for a photo in Tampa, Florida, Feb. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
“I want (to) thank Dillon for all his efforts. He has a bright baseball mind that will continue to lead to a long and fruitful baseball career.”
Lawson was named the hitting coach prior to the start of the 2022 season. That year, Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs in a dazzling season and set the new American League home run record.
However, New York’s .231 batting average is 28th in the majors only ahead of the Detroit Tigers and the Oakland Athletics. The Tigers and the Athletics are both under .500 while the Yankees are vying for second and third in the American League East.
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman at press conference at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, Nov. 4, 2022. (J. Conrad Williams, Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images)
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The Yankees are fifth in the majors with 129 home runs but 18th in runs and 26th in on-base percentage.
Casey Dykes and Brad Wilkerson will be trained, Cashman said. There was no immediate announcement of a replacement for Lawson. A person from outside the organization was expected to be hired for the role.
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone, #17, looks on from the dugout against the Oakland Athletics in the bottom of the eighth inning at RingCentral Coliseum on June 29, 2023 in Oakland, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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Cashman had never fired a coach in the middle of a season before. The last time a midseason change to the Yankees’ coaching staff came was when Nardi Contreras replaced Billy Connors in July 1995 as pitching coach on Buck Showalter’s staff.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.