The New York Yankees have promoted hitting coordinator Jake Hirst to the MLB staff, according to Andy Martino of SNY, as the team continues making coaching shake-ups.
Hirst was a hitting coach for the Yankees at the High-A and Double-A levels, working alongside hitters such as Anthony Volpe, Ben Rice, Austin Wells, Jasson Dominguez, and others who were homegrown.
A move that puts some of the youngest players inside with a coach who oversaw them as they increased their prospect value, this could prove beneficial to struggling young hitters on the roster.
The trio of Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe, and Jasson Dominguez didn’t produce the offensive value the team believed it could back in 2022, mustering a .227 AVG with a .290 OBP in 2025.
Jake Hirst is one of the bright young coaches whom the Yankees found a way to keep despite how many teams poach people from the organization, and now he’ll get a chance on the MLB staff.
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Yankees’ Youth Reunites With Minor League Hitting Coach Jake Hirst
James Rowson could leave the Yankees’ MLB hitting staff for a managerial job in Minnesota, and the Yankees are shifting Pat Roessler off the hitting staff to a different role.
They’ll bring in a younger coach in Jake Hirst who has been an integral part in transforming their Minor League hitting development, which has kept the farm system afloat despite mass turnover through trades.
He’s been the coach for players such as Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe, and Jasson Dominguez, all of whom experienced incredible offensive seasons while working with him.
A return to a familiar coach could aid the Yankees’ younger hitters in re-finding what made them successful, as the team is hoping their youngsters can stabilize this offense.
The Yankees are likely to hand Anthony Volpe the keys to shortstop barring a horrendous Spring Training, and Austin Wells is penciled in as the starting catcher as well.
Whether Jasson Dominguez starts in left field or not remains to be seen, the team has shown a willingness to trade him at this year’s deadline and last year’s offseason.
Regardless of what they do, they’ll need value out of the three if they want to win the American League East and finally end their 16-year drought.
For Jake Hirst, its his first MLB-level role, and it could become the Yankees’ next hitting coach depending on if another team hires James Rowson away or not down the road.