Yankees lose the architect of their pitching depth to Mets

Saturday December 23, 2023

A month after hiring of Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza as their next manager, the Mets have secured another coach from their cross-town rivals. This time, it is Grayson Crawford, who revealed on Thursday evening that he had agreed to take on the role of pitching coach for the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse.

Notably, Crawford had previously served as the pitching coach for the Yankees in Double-A Somerset. He expressed gratitude to the New York Yankees for the past two years via a post on X (formerly Twitter). He conveyed everlasting appreciation to Sam Briend for the guidance and opportunities given during that period, acknowledging Briend’s teachings and the prospects in pitching for the organization’s future. Crawford then conveyed readiness for a new challenge, aiming to make an impact and contribute to the Mets at the highest levels.

Now ready for this new challenge to help impact the Mets at the highest levels.
— Grayson Crawford (@gwcbaseball) December 22, 2023

About Yankees farm coach Crawford

Grayson-Crawford-mets-new-york-yankees — X-@metsbatflip1

In December 2021, the Yankees initially brought on Crawford to assume the role of pitching coach for Low-A Tampa during the 2022 season. Fast forward two years, and he has progressed to a position just one level below the major leagues.

Commencing his coaching journey in 2011, Crawford gained experience at different collegiate institutions before capturing the Yankees’ attention. Notably, he shared in a Q&A with Greg Johnson of The Trentonian last May that his entry into the Yankees’ organization came about through positive word of mouth.

Crawford emphasized the significant role of networking within the coaching community, stating, “The coaching community, the networking piece is just such a big thing.” He shared this insight via The Trentonian, explaining that the connection unfolded when Joe Migliacci, the hitting coordinator, and he had previously collaborated at Murray State. Migliacci mentioned Crawford’s name, initiating the chain of connections.

Additionally, Crawford and Desi Druschel, the major league assistant pitching coach, were acquainted due to their shared connection with Migliacci, who had worked alongside Druschel at Iowa. The coaching world, as Crawford highlighted, can be surprisingly interconnected when connecting the dots.

Guided by Crawford, the Double-A Somerset team of the Yankees achieved notable pitching statistics in the Eastern League. They boasted the league’s top Earned Run Average (ERA) at 3.56, secured the highest number of strikeouts (1,397), conceded the fewest hits (945), and ranked third in the league for the lowest count of home runs allowed (127).

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