Overhaul in Yankees coaching staff

The last few weeks there have been rumours about the Yankees going after new coaches. Several names floated around.

According to Jack Curry, the Yankees are close to appoint a hitting coach, an assistant hitting coach and an infield coach.
Jack Curry is one of the most reliable journalist with ties in the Yankee organization. In the meantime the official website of the Yankees have announced the news as well.

The Yankees will hire Jeff Pentland as their hitting coach, to replace Kevin Long who was fired after the 2014 campaign due to disappointing results at bat. Next to a hitting coach, the Yankees will hire an assistent hitting coach in the person of Alan Cockrell.

                                         Jeff Pentland (left) and Alan Cockrell

Pentland was hitting coach for the Marlins (1996), Cubs (1997-2002), Royals (2003-05), Mariners (2005-08), and Dodgers (2010-11).
Cockrell served as the Mariners’ hitting coach in 2009 and 2010. Especially the team batting average in 2010 was on the low side: .236. Previous to his stint with the Mariners he was hitting coach of the Rockies. In this period the Rockies did rather well: .263 in 2008 and .280 in 2007.

This will be the first time that the Yankees will have two hitting coaches on their team.

Next to the two hitting coaches hired Joe Espada to replace infield coach/1B coach Mick Kelleher. Espada served as MLB scout for the Yankees last season. In the years before he was third base coach for the Marlins.