Why Luis Rojas Is Poised to Shine in New Role on Yankees' Coaching Staff
When Luis Rojas was hired to manage the Mets in January of 2020, the first big-league skipper to reach out and congratulate him was Aaron Boone.
The Yankees' manager gave Rojas a call, leaving a message on his voicemail to welcome him to New York..
Rojas eventually returned Boone's call, sparking a quality connection between two baseball lifers beginning their careers as managers in the biggest market in sports. Little did Rojas know at the time that less than two years later, he would be joining forces with his crosstown rival in the Bronx, returning to a role that he grew familiar with in the minor leagues.
New York added Rojas to their coaching staff as the club's new third base coach this week, officially announcing the hire on Monday afternoon. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Rojas revealed that he will also serve as the Yankees' outfield coach next year and beyond.
This comes after the Mets elected to part ways with their manager following back-to-back losing seasons, declining to pick up Rojas' option for the 2022 campaign.
Rojas' tenure in Flushing didn't result in any trips to the postseason, but the 40-year-old built on a résumé that already included 14 years within the Mets' organization. That experience, and his sparkling reputation around the game, played a key role in why the Yankees went with Rojas after an efficient interview process.
"Just looking from afar, certainly somebody that I respected and enjoyed our interactions together," Boone said of Rojas Tuesday afternoon. "As we started to dig a little bit, and you try and find as much information when you're going through interviews as you can, the respect he's earned really across the board in this game from people that we contacted, and just how highly people spoke of him, certainly confirmed that we definitely needed to interview him and wanted to talk to him.
"As far as the interview went, I think he just kind of killed it."
Rojas recounted what he called a "healthy" set of interviews, answering questions about everything from analytics to his personal baseball philosophies. Once Boone notified the former Mets skipper that he had been offered the position, Rojas couldn't wait to get started.
"I know the city, my wife loves the city, my son loves the city," Rojas explained. "The Yankees organization and the tradition. My father [Felipe Alou] played three years there, my uncle [Matty Alou], may rest in peace, he played one year there. There's some family history as well."
This agreement is more than a feel-good story, though. The Yankees believe that Rojas will help this team in more ways than one, bringing the most out of this talented roster that's poised to get even better this offseason.
During the interview process, according to Boone, the Yankees always had their third base coach vacancy in mind, letting their conversations with Rojas determine how he could fit on the coaching staff. It was Rojas' eagerness to get back to third base that made this decision even more of a no-brainer.
Rojas filled in more of the blanks on Tuesday as well, detailing his love for coaching third and how he plans to dive into film and data this offseason.
"There's just so much information out there that a third base coach can take advantage of just to get ready for a game. And now in the offseason, I'm actually doing a lot of work," Rojas said. "I'm waiting on getting my hands on a lot of video and a lot of different data out there that's probably going to put me in a spot to coach the guys. And also going to put me in a spot to think of some decisions way ahead."
Those decisions include when to send runners, a touchy subject for Yankees fans after New York suffered through a season with far too many outs on the base paths. By analyzing shifts, arm strength and range—even becoming an expert on the team's signs and building chemistry with different players—there's more that a third base coach can do, rather than just practice his windmill motion.
"You can prepare yourself as a third base coach, so you can make your in-game decisions and not be reactive, but the person that anticipates what's going to happen," Rojas said. "A lot of things are in the equation that come into your decision whether you're going to send or stop a runner."
READ: Need For Speed: Will the Yankees Address Their Weakness This Offseason?
The same goes for Rojas' role as an outfield instructor. Asked which players Rojas is most excited to work with in pinstripes, he singled out those that play outfield, quickly broadening his answer to the entire Yankees family as well.
"Right now, I'm the most excited to work with the outfielders just because that's my area," he said. "But that doesn't take the excitement away from meeting everyone. I want to meet everyone and get to know them really well and have those interactions that you have on a daily basis when you're on a baseball team. You become a family."
That goes in line with Boone's final assessment of Rojas and what he brings to this coaching staff. Rojas has the experience and the reputation, but he's more than just a baseball-minded coach.
"I think he understands the importance of relationships with players," Boone said. "I think he understands the importance of the connection with front office and analytics and all the blend that needs to happen. I feel like we've added a really well-rounded baseball person, but also person."
MORE:
- MLB Insider Believes Justin Verlander Will Sign With Yankees
- What Luis Rojas Brings to the Yankees' Coaching Staff
- Report: Yankees Show Interest in Free Agent Freddie Freeman
Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.
