A discussion on the state of the Yankees’ player development

In the latest episode of the Bomber Brothers podcast, Ben Lindbergh, co-author of the new book The MVP Machine, joined the show to talk about his eye-opening work.

Lindbergh discussed how a new era of players have dedicated themselves to examining advanced data and using high-tech cameras to remake their swings or develop new pitch grips, thus becoming tougher to hit. The book highlights Yankee killers like Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, who both adjusted their swings to become greater power threats. The fruits of those labors were seen many times against the Yanks since the start of last season.

Lindbergh also discussed the state of the Yankees’ player development operations, which he considers to be ‘cutting edge’ in comparison to the rest of baseball. The Yankees are heavily guarded in terms of their procedures, but trades that brought in players like Aaron Hicks, Didi Gregorius, Luke Voit and Gio Urshela are more than enough evidence to show that the team is near the top of the list in terms of developing players internally—perhaps at the same level as the Astros, who have churned out talent like a well-run machine.

For the full interview and episode, check out the link below!