Around the Empire: Yankees news - 1/8/22

NJ.com | Randy Miller: In an interview on David Cone’s podcast, blue-chip Yankee prospect Anthony Volpe highlighted a pair of pitching prospects he thinks are dynamite. Volpe praised Hayden Wesneski and Ken Waldichuk, both of whom had breakout 2021 seasons. The shortstop touched on something salient, noting that Wesneski “put on like three to four mph (last season)”. In recent years, finding ways to help their minor league hurlers add velocity and life to their heaters has become a Yankee player development trademark, something their top overall prospect appears to have noticed.

New York Daily News | Kristie Ackert: The Yankees are still looking for hitting instructors to work with new hitting coach Dillon Lawson. The club reportedly wants a new instructor with major league experience to help out, and former Oriole slugger Mark Trumbo’s name has apparently surfaced. The team’s desire to bring on someone that played recently would seem to make sense; after the departures of the Marcus Thames and Reggie Willits, there’s little playing experience left on Aaron Boone’s staff, with more analytically-minded voices mostly filling the coaching ranks. A neat balance between former players and number-crunchers may suffice.

NJ.com | Mike Rosenstein: Just as the Yankees have spent time during the lockout filling out their coaching staff, so too have their crosstown rivals. News broke earlier this week that new Mets manager Buck Showalter had poached Eric Chavez from the Yankees to be the hitting coach in Queens, and reports have emerged that Showalter also had his eye on another former Yankee stud, Curtis Granderson. The former center fielder doesn’t appear interested in coaching this season, but based on how well-regarded Granderson is after his time in the Bronx and elsewhere, he certainly seems like a name to watch if he ever decides to re-enter MLB in his post-playing days.