Leo Mazzone
From The Record:
With three starting pitchers on the disabled list and another, Kevin Brown, already counting the days to retirement, the Yankees finally have accepted that the path to the postseason will be through sheer-force offense. But the Bombers are dreaming of a second renaissance of pitching in 2006, which, according to their grandiose wish list, includes a new philosophy and a new guru – Leo Mazzone.
According to a person close to the Braves’ legendary coach, Mazzone has been informally and indirectly contacted by members of the Yankees’ hierarchy, asking if he’d be interested in succeeding Mel Stottlemyre. Mazzone has told the friend he would come to the Bronx “in a minute” for the right offer.
Earlier this year, J.C. Bradbury did a good study on Leo.
That said, I’m not sure if Mazzone would be the right fit for New York. It’s such a different world here.
I’d much rather get a guy like Jimmy Key, or David Cone, or John Habyan, or Jim Kaat, or Dave LaPoint, who you know has some insight on what it’s like in the Bronx. That said, Rags would be the perfect guy.
Those “insights” will be irrelevant. A pitching coach simply does not get that much ink.
I wouldn’t mind Leo Mazzone coming on board. If not, get Johnny Sain, or Mike Marshall, or maybe Tom House.
I’d love to see what Mike Marshall could/would do with an organization. I wish someone would give him a shot.
Bring rockin Leo over….there is no downside for him coming here….he has a resume to drool over.
Maybe he can re-straighten out Jared Wright.
Raf – Sain is 88 years old.
Ya, but if he still has the mental capacity to do the job (:
I believe Mazzone learned a lot from Johnny Sain.
And I still would like to see what Mike Marshall can do for an organization. Don’t think it’ll ever happen, which is a shame, IMO
I’ve traded e-mails with Marshall. Trust me, he would never fit in NY.
What about Gator?
I thought Neil Allen was all but certain to be the next pitching coach.
Looks like Allen is now Plan B.
Gator? I dunno – could he do it, yes. Would he want to? The pitching coach in NY is a bit of being a clay bird.
I’ve traded e-mails with Marshall. Trust me, he would never fit in NY.
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Actually, the impression I get is that he wouldn’t fit in with MLB. I’ve visited his website a few times, and a couple of my teammates went to his baseball school (I incorporated a shotput in my training routine as a result).
The impression I get is that he’s baseball’s equivalent of an engineer, very dry. But he does know his stuff. I’d like to put his credentials and qualifications up against any other coach out there.
IIRC, he can be a bit abraisive sometimes.
Steve,
All the best pitching coaches (and Jim Kaat) say this:
“You can read all these charts and do all this new-age stuff, but if you can’t locate a fastball, it doesn’t do you any good,” Mazzone told the Rocky Mountain News last month. “There’s nothing more to pitching than locating your fastball and changing speeds.”
Mel Stottlemyre’s pitchers throw an inordinate amount of sliders and breaking pitches, especially deep in the count, and especially to power hitters. These pitches “tend” to stay middle-in not down and away. Mel really believes you can “locate” a breaking ball. Even the Unit bought into the mucho slider theory of pitching while throwing to Posada. Thankfully, Flaherty has gotten him to be a little more aggressive. Sheer velocity is not the key. As Jim Kaat repeatedly says, a well-placed fastball is the best pitch in the game. Combine that with occasionally changing speeds and you defeat a batter’s timing.
“Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing.”
Agreed.
MO has shown what a well placed fastball can do, since 1996.