The New York Yankees are hiring Brad Ausmus to succeed Carlos Mendoza as bench coach, according to Joel Sherman of the Post. Mendoza was hired to manage the crosstown rival New York Mets earlier this month.
I can report now that Ausmus was hired to be the Yankees bench coach. https://t.co/ndQtjJtrmO
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) November 21, 2023
Ausmus, 54, was most recently a coach for Team Israel at the World Baseball Classic and also managed the team in 2013. The Connecticut native is also a former MLB catcher who played 18 seasons for four teams, including ten with the Astros. Ausmus won three Gold Gloves in Houston and was an All-Star with the Tigers in 1999. He even came up with the Yankees, who drafted him in 1987 before the Rockies took him in the 1992 Expansion Draft.
And in retirement, Brad Ausmus has never left baseball. He was a special assistant for the Padres and Angels at different points. He was Jim Leyland’s successor in Detroit and managed the Tigers for four seasons. Ausmus also managed the Angels for a year and owns a career record of 386-422.
All in all, it’s a solid hire by the Yankees. The bench coach’s job is to basically be Coach Beard to the manager’s Ted Lasso. He offers counsel as needed and is there, as Phillies manager Rob Thomson said on the R2C2 podcast, “to take care of the manager.”
What does that mean for Brad Ausmus working in the Bronx? Mostly, his quiet, calm nature is a nice counterbalance to the fiery, prone-to-ejections Boone. Perhaps he can be a calming presence whenever the Yankees are beset by injuries or otherwise hit a cold streak.
Either way, the Yankees revamped their coaching staff as needed. Ausmus has the right experience to be a solid bench coach. James Rowson is set up for success as the new hitting coach.
Now, we just need to survive until pitchers and catchers report in February.
