Bronx Bombas: James Rowson's Long Journey to Yankees Hitting Coach

[Nick Nelson]

The Yankees are still searching for the offensive clout that's been amiss since they raced with Minnesota for the home run record in 2019. Now, they're turning to the hitting coach who oversaw the historic Bomba Squad season.

Image courtesy of Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

In 2019, the New York Yankees led the major leagues in runs scored with 943, and the Twins followed close behind at 939. These elite offenses were both propelled by the long ball – Minnesota set the all-time home run record, with 307, and New York finished just one behind.

Of course, the two explosive 100+ win teams faced off in the ALDS, and the Twins were swept. Since then, the franchises have followed interesting parallel paths in terms of how their record-setting offenses have fared.

Fading from the top
After leading the world in runs and homers in 2019, here's how the Yankees and Twins fared against the rest of the majors over the following three years.

2020
Yankees: 4th in runs, 5th in homers, 5th in OPS
Twins: 18th in runs, 6th in homers, 15th in OPS

In the shortened COVID season, the Yankees took a minor step back offensively and the Twins took a huge one, as their overreliance on home runs became plainly problematic. Notably, Minnesota's hitting coach James Rowson – who many hitters had credited with their success in the 2019 "Bomba Squad" season – took a bench coach job with the Marlins during the previous offseason. Many outsiders viewed Rowson's absence as a factor in the team's massive offensive drop-off. 

2021
Yankees: 19th in runs, 8th in homers, 13th in OPS
Twins: 14th in runs, 5th in homers, 11th in OPS

Now it was New York's turn to take a tremendous offensive tumble. Despite continuing to hit homers at a solid pace, their offense was mediocre and the Yankees failed to win the AL East for a ninth time in 10 years. Meanwhile, Minnesota sputtered to a last-place finish, ranking as a middle-of-the-pack offense overall despite having six players hit 19+ home runs.

Each club decided it was time for a change. The Yankees moved on from hitting coach Marcus Thames, who'd been in the role since 2018. (Naturally, he took a job as hitting coach for the Miami Marlins, on the same staff as Rowson.) The Twins reassigned Edgar Varela, who'd replaced Rowson as top hitting instructor in 2020.

Both clubs went in similar directions with their new hires, enlisting analytically inclined young coaches from the minors, with no MLB experience to speak of. 

New York hired internally, promoting a "data-driven" minor-league coach named Dillon Lawson. The Twins went outside of the organization, plucking David Popkins from Los Angeles' Single-A affiliate. The thought behind this hire was described as "similar to the data-driven approach that Wes Johnson takes with the pitching staff."

The Great Lakes Loons, for whom Popkins had previously been coaching, "hit more home runs under Popkins' watch than all but two of the 90 Class A and AA teams this year, the sort of results the Twins are looking for," wrote Phil Miller at the time.

Both of these new-school hitting coaches espoused a similar philosophy: swing hard, ambush opponents, crush mistakes – and don't get too defensive with two strikes.

The diverging paths that have unfolded since then are fascinating.

2022
Yankees: 2nd in runs, 1st in homers, 4th in OPS
Twins: 17th in runs, 13th in homers, 11th in OPS

New York had a great offense in 2022, but it can hardly be overstated how much this was driven by a historic individual season from Aaron Judge. Outside of him only one qualified player on the Yankees (Anthony Rizzo) had an OPS over .800, or a wOBA over .330. Unless you considered Lawson the Judge Whisperer, there wasn't a lot of success to be attributed to the new hitting coach.

In Minnesota, there weren't many conclusions to be drawn either way. Catastrophic injuries decimated the Twins roster, to the point where their pedestrian overall numbers could be considered a moderate success. 

Which bring us to 2023. 

Both offenses were underwhelming in the first half. Both fanbases had people calling for the heads of their inexperienced young hitting coaches, who seemed to be in over their heads based on results.

The Yankees made a drastic change, firing Lawson at the All-Star break and bringing in former big-leaguer Sean Casey, who had zero experience and certainly no analytical bona fides. The Twins held strong and stuck to their plan with Popkins.

In the second half of the season, the Twins ranked fifth in runs, third in homers, and third in OPS. Meanwhile, the Yankees ranked 27th in runs, 14th in homers, and 28th in OPS. 

Minnesota was vindicated for showing faith in their plan and their coach. New York further unraveled after making a change mid-season, then parted ways with Casey afterward. From there it was back to the drawing board, which brings us (and Rowson) full circle.

James Rowson comes home 
When the Twins originally hired Rowson, he'd been the minor league hitting coordinator for the New York Yankees, which is the same role Lawson was in before graduating to the job that Rowson has now been hired to fill. It's a real full-circle moment – in more ways than one when you think back to the home run race of 2019.

In a way, it feels like the Yankees are now desperately trying to replicate what the Twins have been able to accomplish. Which is an amazing thing to say.

View full article

[PDX Twin]

Quote

In a way, it feels like the Yankees are now desperately trying to replicate what the Twins have been able to accomplish. Which is an amazing thing to say.

Indeed. But I want to see them do it on the Twins' budget!

[CRF]

Absolutely hate the evil empire, but I really like Rowson. I wish him the best of luck there.

[Dman]

When players get in a funk at the plate hitting coaches become important, but they can only do so much.  The talents the players have and the team philosophy have more impact IMO. The Twins have drafted and developed their players to have power in their profile by focusing on exit velocities.  Since the new FO took over they haven't been afraid to swing hard even in two strike counts.  They are not afraid to K.  

When Rowson came over I believe it was Cruz's first year with the team.  I am not sure who had more influence over the Bomba squad that year.  Cruz was generally a patient hitter who waited for his pitch and wasn't afraid to swing hard at all times.  It seemed like his mentorship might have been as important or maybe even more important than Rowson for that team.

That being said the hitting coach generally gets more blame than deserved when players struggle and too much praise when the overall team is providing good offense.  To me their main role is that psychological role of helping players get out of slumps.  Looking at tape together.  Providing a sounding board to work through things together.  Not sure how good Rowson is at all that, but there really is only so much a hitting a coach can do.  The player has to have the skills to hit.

[Parfigliano]

36 minutes ago, PDX Twin said:

Indeed. But I want to see them do it on the Twins' budget!

As usual I want to see them fail miserably.

[chpettit19]

12 minutes ago, Dman said:

When players get in a funk at the plate hitting coaches become important, but they can only do so much.  The talents the players have and the team philosophy have more impact IMO. The Twins have drafted and developed their players to have power in their profile by focusing on exit velocities.  Since the new FO took over they haven't been afraid to swing hard even in two strike counts.  They are not afraid to K.  

When Rowson came over I believe it was Cruz's first year with the team.  I am not sure who had more influence over the Bomba squad that year.  Cruz was generally a patient hitter who waited for his pitch and wasn't afraid to swing hard at all times.  It seemed like his mentorship might have been as important or maybe even more important than Rowson for that team.

At any rate he moved onto Miami and until this past year when they added Arraez it didn't seem like he had done much to improve Miami's hitters.  Again it might be the player affect Arraez mentoring\showing players how its done more than anything Rowson did.  

That being said the hitting coach generally gets more blame than deserved when players struggle and too much praise when the overall team is providing good offense.  To me their main role is that psychological role of helping players get out of slumps.  Looking at tape together.  Providing a sounding board to work through things together.  Not sure how good Rowson is at all that, but there really is only so much a hitting a coach can do.  The player has to have the skills to hit.

Rowson was in Detroit this last year, FYI.

[Doctor Gast]

The '19 Twins & NYY success was the juiced ball & their slump was the removal of it & the new adrinalin high that encouraged their organizations to go all out on the focus of HRs. The '22 resurgence of the NYY was the constant supply of juiced & goldilocks balls that were fed to them.

The NYY can continue down this same road of philosophy as long they aren't specially treated w/ spiked balls. Twins I hope get off this HR highs. I don't care how many HRs they get in insignificant times when pitchers are more often to make mistakes & still lose. It's not about striking out in crucial times when the pitcher is focused, it's about getting a hit that helps wins the game.

I wish Rowson luck & freedom to coach the hitters as he see fit, although I'd prefer it as a Twin. As for Popkin, it seems I read an article that he was working with Gallo before ST, to help him to change his swing when he had 2 strikes (which I was impressed). I think this constant all or nothing hitting philosophy is more FO idea than Popkins. Popkin is just following orders.

[Dman]

28 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

Rowson was in Detroit this last year, FYI.

Thanks for the correction!  I thought he was still there.  Will change my post.

[Shaitan]

Misleading headline. There's, what, a paragraph about Rowson in here?

[Parfigliano]

6 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

The '19 Twins & NYY success was the juiced ball & their slump was the removal of it & the new adrinalin high that encouraged their organizations to go all out on the focus of HRs. The '22 resurgence of the NYY was the constant supply of juiced & goldilocks balls that were fed to them.

The NYY can continue down this same road of philosophy as long they aren't specially treated w/ spiked balls. Twins I hope get off this HR highs. I don't care how many HRs they get in insignificant times when pitchers are more often to make mistakes & still lose. It's not about striking out in crucial times when the pitcher is focused, it's about getting a hit that helps wins the game.

I wish Rowson luck & freedom to coach the hitters as he see fit, although I'd prefer it as a Twin. As for Popkin, it seems I read an article that he was working with Gallo before ST, to help him to change his swing when he had 2 strikes (which I was impressed). I think this constant all or nothing hitting philosophy is more FO idea than Popkins. Popkin is just following orders.

That whole special balls to the trash heap yankees story really disappeated fast.  

[mnfireman]

Rowson's coaching career, like many of the players he coached, peaked in 2019. Let him ride that success as far as it will take him.

[mikelink45]

The biggest take away from all this articles information was how HRs and runs scored do not correlate.  Get timely hits! 

[Doctor Gast]

On 11/16/2023 at 10:52 AM, Dman said:

When Rowson came over I believe it was Cruz's first year with the team. 

 

Rowson became the Twins hitting coach in 2017. The organization had decided to send Buxton down but Rowson stepped in & basically said "over my dead body!" Rowson personally knew each player & tried to find out what was best for each player. That's what I liked most about him, standing up for his players & personally customize each players swings.

[Doctor Gast]

Although I criticize the hitting philosophy, I like how Popkin has helped the team with pitch recognition & laying off bad pitches that leads to more walks.

[ashbury]

On 11/17/2023 at 5:37 AM, mikelink45 said:

The biggest take away from all this articles information was how HRs and runs scored do not correlate. 

Then that's not a good takeaway.  Correlation doesn't mean a guarantee.

In 2023, of the top 8 MLB teams in HR, 6 are in the top 8 in runs per game.  Seems strong to me.