Former New York Yankees Hitting Coach Praises Team's Lineup Changes

Former New York Yankees hitting coach recently talked about the team's 2025 lineup changes and how it could impact the franchise.

Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees will have a radically different lineup on opening day than they did last season.

The Yankees lost superstar Juan Soto to their cross town rival New York Mets. Second baseman Gleyber Torres is now a Detroit Tiger, while first baseman Anthony Rizzo and left fielder Alex Verdugo are still without teams as of this writing.

New York will turn to some in-house options to fill those voids. Rookie of the year contender, Jasson Dominguez, with take over in left field while Jazz Chisholm Jr. will replace Torres at second base.

The Yankees also brought in two former MVPs via free agency in first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and outfielder Cody Bellinger.

When a team loses one of the best hitters in the league like Soto, their offense usually declines the following year. That might not be the case for the Yankees given their two big-ticket free agents and their quality in-house replacements.

New York's former hitting coach, Sean Casey, was asked on his Mayor's Office podcast if the team actually has a better lineup heading into 2025. He believes so.

"I actually think they are dude, I really do," he said. "I know Soto is a big deal, but at the end of the day they were a couple pieces away."

Casey went on to talk about Goldschmidt, who is with the Yankees on a one-year contract.

"I think Goldy is going to have a great year, I really do man," he said. "Go look at his September, what he did was .330 (batting average), I think he had close to a 1.000 OPS, driving the baseball out of the ballpark. All the Statcast numbers are still there too, like his hard hit rate, his bat speed, all that stuff is still there. I think he's going to have a great year"

He then provided his stance on the other big bat the team added this offseason, Cody Bellinger.

"I think Bellinger fits well in that park," he said. "And there's also something to be said when you get around a guy like Aaron Judge, you know, who he is and how he works, how he goes about his business. And with the Yankees, there's something about being with the Yankees, it's different. It's different when you're there in New York."

Casey included his own experience with the Yankees being different than most teams, saying that every stadium is sold out when they travel and there truly is a allure around the pinstripes. He said he's noticed that Goldschmidt seems to feel that same level of excitement in playing for New York.

With Chisholm for the whole season, he believes the lineup will be deeper. Plus, the progression of younger players like Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe will help. Third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera is still on the roster, but DJ LeMahieu is expected to see more playing time at the position, barring injury. To Casey, LeMahieu is key.

"One guy I'm interested to see is will LeMahieu," he said. "He was talking about this offseason, really relaxing for a few months. I'd like to see DJ, he came out the gates. He had a great spring training last year, then got banged up. So you'd like to see if he can hold down that third base job and come back and contribute."

The Yankees lost one of the best hitters in the league, but they added two difference makers in free agency. Throw in their options from last year's team, and you could argue they upgraded multiple positions. New York won the AL pennant last season, and they could be even more dangerous in 2025.