Why Yankees’ Sean Casey believes he’ll fix broken offense: six takeaways

Not long before Sean Casey hopped on a Zoom call on Wednesday to speak with reporters for the first time since the Yankees named him their new hitting coach, he looked in the mirror. Though Casey will forever be connected to the Cincinnati Reds, where he played eight of his 12 seasons and made three All-Star teams, he grew up adoring Don Mattingly, the star Yankees first baseman of the 1980s and 90s. So, understanding that he’d need to shave his goatee to conform to his new team’s hair policy, Casey decided that he wanted to look like Mattingly.

“I have a mustache for the first time in my life in honor of my childhood idol Donnie Baseball,” Casey said during the call. “I had Donnie Baseball posters all over my room growing up. He’s one of my idols, so I went with the mustache.”

It might have been the easiest part of his transition to the Yankees. He’s about to have a close shave with sky-high expectations.

Sean Casey will meet the Yankees for the first time tomorrow at Yankee Stadium, and then get on the plane w/ them to Colorado to get started for Friday’s game.

— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) July 12, 2023

On Sunday, the Yankees unexpectedly fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson, who had been in his role since the start of the 2021 season. To many in the organization, it came as a shock. Lawson began as an instructor with the Yankees in 2018. He was well-liked and he was credited with shaping how hitting was taught throughout their farm system. It was the first time in general manager Brian Cashman’s 25-year tenure that he fired a coach midseason.

But by Monday, the Yankees had hired Casey, who has no professional coaching experience and was an analyst at MLB Network. But the 49-year-old is a longtime close friend and former teammate of Yankees manager Aaron Boone, and Boone had quizzed him on and off throughout the years — including last offseason — about potentially joining his coaching staff.

Now, Casey isn’t just in the fold. He’s expected to do the improbable. The Yankees need to improve the offense that has led them to just a 49-42 record, putting them one game out of the Wild Card race and in fourth place in the American League East. Their .231 batting average is the second-worst in the majors, tied with the lowly Tigers and just ahead of the terrible A’s (.221). No regulars aside from Aaron Judge have an OPS above .800. Anthony Rizzo and DJ LeMahieu each started hot but have slumped badly of late. Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson have also been disappointments. And Judge (toe), who has been out since early June, might not return to the lineup until sometime in August.

It all starts Thursday when Casey meets the team at Yankee Stadium and flies with them to Colorado to start the second half of the season Friday.

“Just really excited to be here,” he said, “and excited for the mustache.”

Here are six takeaways from Casey’s introductory press conference:

Can Casey turn around the Yankees’ broken offense?

Casey: “One-hundred percent. … I know I’m going to be able to tap into these guys and get their talent out. We’re too talented. This team is too talented. This team is loaded with professional hitters.”

Analysis: It’ll be easier said than done. Casey knows that. But Cashman has said he believed the offense was in need of a new voice, if not a new hitting philosophy. And, if anything, Casey brings a voice. He’s high energy. He was nicknamed “The Mayor” as a player for chatting up any runner who made it to first base. Casey has golden retriever energy, and he’s going to immediately jump into working with the Yankees’ slumping hitters. How that will work remains to be seen. Assistants Casey Dykes and Brad Wilkerson will still be around to help, and the team will still be used to how things functioned under Lawson. Does Casey rip up the blueprint? He won’t have much time to prove himself. Just 70 games remain in the regular season.

What’s wrong with the offense right now?

Casey: “One thing I see right now is I see some tension. I know in this game, when you struggle, the anxiety kind of creeps in a little bit and you’re chasing a little bit more. Maybe you’re swinging earlier than you would like because you kind of want to do so well. If anything I see right now, that’s what I see.”

Analysis: He’s saying that he believes several Yankees hitters are pressing. Casey didn’t name names, but the ones under the most heat will be LeMahieu, Donaldson, Rizzo and Stanton. LeMahieu swears he’s healthy and that the right toe injury that tanked his second half last year — and that he didn’t treat via surgery in the offseason — isn’t a problem. Yet the team can’t pinpoint why he’s hitting just .220 and striking out more than ever. Stanton is hitting just .167 with a .620 OPS in 28 games since returning from the injured list. Rizzo hasn’t homered since May 20. Donaldson — the current top target of booing Yankees fans before they move on to someone else — has 10 homers in 99 at-bats but is hitting just .152. Casey said that he feels he’s observed some “tension” in recent Yankees at-bats, and mentioned how there seems to be too many quick outs.

How important is it that Casey has walked the walk?

Casey: “Some of my best hitting coaches had big league experience.”

Analysis: Lawson didn’t play professionally. Casey played in the majors for five teams, hitting .302 with 130 homers and 735 RBI. He played in the 2006 World Series with the Tigers. He’s been managed by baseball luminaries such as Mike Hargrove, Jack McKeon, Bob Boone, Jim Leyland and Terry Francona.

How is Casey getting up to speed?

Casey: “I talked to Judge yesterday for a while and that was a big conversation for me just to get the heartbeat of what’s going on with the guys. He’s obviously the team leader and really wanted to hear what he had to say and what his thoughts were on the offense and where they’re at.”

Analysis: Casey said he spent much of Tuesday on the phone. In addition to Judge, he talked with Rizzo, Donaldson, Harrison Bader and Anthony Volpe. He texted with Kyle Higashioka, Gleyber Torres, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and several others. He said he rewatched Sunday’s 7-4 loss to the Cubs at Yankee Stadium, and that he plans to hit the ground running Thursday. Connecting with Judge and Rizzo made sense — they’re the clubhouse leaders on the offensive side. Casey didn’t mention whether he’s spoken to Stanton. Casey is going to have to lean heavily on Dykes and Wilkerson.

Are the expectations on him fair?

Casey: “I would expect myself to come in and make an impact. … I welcome the challenge. I really do.”

Analysis: What else is Casey supposed to say? That he’s daunted by what lies ahead? Of course, he had to maintain that he’s up for the challenge and that he plans to be a catalyst to help Yankees hitters. But here’s the problem: He didn’t have an offseason or a spring training to ease into the job. It sounds like Casey hardly even went through an interview process. He’s starting from scratch after being out of a big-league dugout since 2008, his final year as a player. Will it matter? Boone didn’t have coaching experience prior to taking over the Yankees’ job, and he has a strong career winning percentage of .596. Boone was able to lean on his big-league experience and his support staff. Perhaps he’ll show Casey to do the same.

Biggest challenge ahead?

Casey: “When I walk into that Yankees clubhouse, I’m looking to connect these guys. I’m looking to connect with them, I’m looking to connect them to themselves and each other, and I don’t feel intimidated at all.”

Analysis: When the Yankees fired Joe Girardi after the 2017 season, they were looking for someone who could bridge the gap between the clubhouse and the front office. Boone has been lauded for his ability to communicate and develop close relationships with players. In Casey, the Yankees will want to see the same thing. They’ll want to see that players are going to buy into what he’s teaching and using it to turn their seasons around. Forming instant connections with the veterans will be his immediate top priority.

(Top photo of Sean Casey in 2017: Jason Koerner / Getty Images)