Aroldis Chapman’s change in form puts a question mark on Yankees coaches

Ex-Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman in pinstripes and Texas uniform.
Michael Bennington
Tuesday July 25, 2023

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Former Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman is flourishing with the Texas Rangers and this has led many to question the skills of the Yankees pitching coaches. He couldn’t be dealt with properly by the Yankees as his form declined and eventually, the team didn’t renew his contract after the 2022 season.

Aroldis Chapman is doing well in Texas, especially after a strong start with the Kansas City Royals. He made a mechanical adjustment to his windup, and that’s why Aroldis Chapman has been able to maintain impressive stats like a 2.04 ERA, 1.42 FIP, and 1.08 WHIP entering Monday. He’s also got 63 strikeouts in just 35.1 innings, and his pitching speed is back to the levels he had in the past.

It would have been highly beneficial for the Yankees this year to have Aroldis Chapman at his best, especially with all the problems they faced in the back end of their bullpen.

Aroldis Chapman’s success casts doubt on Yankees’ pitching staff

Is it possible that the Yankees coaching staff is the weakest in the entire sport? This is a question worth considering after seeing how Aroldis Chapman resurrected himself.

Before the game on Monday night, Aroldis Chapman had displayed dominance for the Rangers since joining the team on June 30. With a 1-0 record in seven appearances this season, he struck out 12 batters while allowing only three hits and no runs.

aroldis-chapman
(AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Similarly, ex-Yankees pitcher Jordan Montgomery has been solid this season. As of right now, he has a 6-8 record, a 3.37 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and 105 K/115 IP.

Other ex-Yankees are also flourishing with their respective teams. There have there been many New York Yankees in the past few seasons who either didn’t perform well in the Bronx or went through a difficult period. But then improved once they joined a different team and put on a new uniform. This includes Aaron Hicks in Baltimore, who is also ramping up after a mechanical alternation in his swing.

Aaron Hicks gets booed as he struggles in first Yankees start.
John Jones/ USA TODAY Sports

It shows the failure of the Yankees’ coaching staff to identify problems with players suffering a slump. Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, Andrew Heaney, Thairo Estrada, and Nathan Eovaldi, and there are probably more players one can add to this list.

At one point, Clay Holmes was considered a key player, but his performance has been in question since the second half of last season until May. Michael King was praised as the team’s most valuable reliever but has struggled significantly in many crucial situations in the past two months. There are concerns that Wandy Peralta’s underlying statistics indicate the upcoming months may not be favorable. And Ron Marinaccio is currently experiencing a sophomore slump.

Surprisingly, the Yankees had the best bullpen ERA in MLB during the first half of the season. However, the success they achieved in their bullpen didn’t always lead to the outcomes they had hoped for, which has been disappointing for both the team and the fans, especially during the challenging month of July.

Meanwhile, Aroldis Chapman has now become part of that group with his impressive performance in the 2023 season.

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

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Tom

Totally agree. The Yanks coaching staff has alot to be desired. Pitching, Hitting, Bullpen Management etc

Robby G.

Like I said… Yankee Empire needs to “Clean House” w their Manager, and Coaching !!!. Shit Can Cashman and Levinewhile ur at it!!!. Keep Shaun Casey as batting coach .
Get Joe Girardi back as Manager!!!. And finally …. Derek Jeter will be our New G.M.!!!. Now U got something to feel positive about !!!.
Enough Said !!!. God Bless America

Dan Smith

Finally-someone tells the truth about Cashman and his pathetic GM leadership. Wake up Steinbrenner and get you4 head out of the sand.

Robby G.

Like I said… Yankee Empire needs to “Clean House” w their Manager, and Coaching !!!. Shit Can Cashman and Levinewhile ur at it!!!. Keep Shaun Casey as batting coach .
Get Joe Girardi back as Manager!!!. And finally …. Derek Jeter will be our New G.M.!!!. Now U got something to feel positive about !!!.
Enough Said !!!.

Tony D

Casey is a Boone shrill. He’s a hack. Another guy with no coaching experience what so ever but his connection is that he played with Boone and is friends with him. What have you seen from this team against competent pitching since the ASB that makes you think Casey is worth keeping?? Beating the Royals doesn’t count.

Dimitrios N Lagouros

Upper management has destroyed my beloved Yankees. Worst manager and coaching staff in the Majors. Aaron Boone wasn’t the smartest ball player. What made that idiot Cashman think he was going to be a better manager? Can’t believe these clowns who are running the team. George would have fired them all years ago.

G. Moore

The coaching staff seems to be handling the other pitchers fairly well. Maybe it was the rotten attitude of Chapman himself? He had a chip on his shoulder with the Yankees due to some disciplinary actions they meted out. Chapman was FAR from being the ideal employee. The infected tattoo that put him out of action for nearly a month, then missing a mandatory practice before the playoffs were the last straw for the Yankees.
If Chapman is pitching better now, it’s because he wants to.
Blaming the Yankees pitching coaches for Chapman’s lousy attitude is a bit of a cop-out, in my opinion.

Bill Mitchell

AMEN Brother! Listening to critics blame the Yankee management is so much bullshit! Change of scenery has improved a lot of athletes! Also, playing in New York puts added pressure to perform consistently! Do an article on the players who continued to flop after they were traded!

Richard Stout

Chapman was a basket case and will be on the Rangers. Just give him time and why do you think the Royals got rid of him?

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