Following a disappointing 82-80 season resulting in missing the playoffs for the first time in seven years, the New York Yankees will be in the market for a new hitting coach.
Former MLB first baseman and three-time All-Star Sean Casey, hired by the Yankees in July to replace Dillon Lawson and help jump-start New York’s struggling offense, will not be returning to the team in 2024, he announced Wednesday on his podcast, “The Mayor’s Office with Sean Casey.”
“Booney [Yankees manager Aaron Boone] and I had talked about coming back next year and what that would look like, and really before any offer could be exchanged between both of us, I just told him that I’m not going to be able to come back next year because I’ve got my two daughters at home,” Casey said.
My thoughts on not returning as the Yankees Hitting Coach. @Chinch4 pic.twitter.com/zhkhSCCyWi
— Sean Casey (@TheMayorsOffice) October 25, 2023
Casey explained that his daughters are 13 and 17 and live in Pittsburgh. Due to a divorce a couple of years back, Casey has his kids 50% of the time and didn’t feel it was reasonable to be in New York for eight months a year.
“I just can’t imagine being away for eight months in New York while they’re here in Pittsburgh,” Casey said. He noted that he has fond memories of his time in New York and called it “a dream come true” and “a tough decision” to leave.
Regardless of who was the hitting coach between Lawson or Casey, New York’s offense had no shortage of struggles in the 2023 season, finishing 29th in MLB in team batting average at .227 and 25th in MLB in runs per game with 4.1.
The Yankees were without 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge for nearly two months with a foot injury which likely brought the offense down, but it still should have been better overall.
[The Mayor’s Office with Sean Casey]
