Larry Rothschild Performance Thread

[ring403]

There is going to be alot of pressure on the new Yankee pitching coach right from the start to get the most out of an "incomplete" pitching staff, as Cashman has called it.
Will he be up to the task? If so, he could be the most important acquisition the Yanks made this offseason.

[goin for 27]

I would say that he needs the proper tools for the job, and right now, he is a couple of pitchers short.

[ring403]

http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/...ach_lar_1.html

Rothschild, 56, inherits the keys to a Yankees rotation that enters the season under scrutiny, a responsibility he has earned because of stories just like these. Of thankless hours agonizing over videotape. Of his ability to connect with the sunniest of pitchers as well as the surliest. Of players impressed at his knack for doing the right things at just the right time.

“He knows when to hit the accelerator,” Leiter said of the Yankees’ new pitching coach. “He knows when to hit the brakes.”

Rothschild begins his tenure with a rotation that general manager Brian Cashman admits is incomplete. It features an ace in CC Sabathia, an emerging star in Phil Hughes, a career underachiever in A.J. Burnett, and two spots that on Opening Day may be filled by journeymen, rookies or a combination of both.

It will be his job to help the Yankees make it work.
“We’re really comfortable with this,” Cashman said. “We gave him a three-year contract for a reason.”

Each pitcher brings vastly different personalities, problems to fix, mental blocks. But those who have worked closely with him believe there are few better for the job than Rothschild, who Leiter described as the antithesis of “cookie-cutter coaches.”

“It’s not what builds good athletes,” Rothschild said. “The real good athletes sometimes do things differently. You have to decipher personality-wise, mechanics-wise, is it a hindrance? Is it a help? Where do you go with it? But I’ve always felt that I have enough to individualize things. I’ve never done it any other way.”

Not that he’s had reason to change.

Rothschild won a world championship as bullpen coach with the Reds. He won another as pitching coach of the Marlins. After an ill-fated stint as the first manager of the expansion Devil Rays (205-294 before he was fired), Rothschild returned to his hometown Chicago, where he was entrusted with the development of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior.

Andy MacPhail, the former Cubs general manager, called Rothschild’s ability to connect with players extraordinary.

“He feels it in a real, meaningful sense,” said MacPhail, now with the Orioles. “It’s not about Larry. It’s really about how his teams and pitchers perform. We reached that conclusion before we even met him. Getting a chance to talk to him only reinforced the belief we had come to by doing the research.”

Rothschild spent nine seasons with the Cubs — working for five different managers — inspiring as much loyalty from players as scorn from fans.

Criticism rained down when Wood and Prior broke down with injuries, when Carlos Zambrano’s tantrums undermined his talent, when the Cubs inevitably fell short of the World Series.

“When you haven’t won in over 100 years, there’s some angst there, and some stuff that gets a little bit out of whack as far as putting perspective on things,” he said. “You’ve got to understand that there’s a lot of frustration there.”

Rothschild exercised an option to remain with the Cubs through 2011, not long after Zambrano publicly advocated the pitching coach’s return. But when the Yankees’ job came open, Cashman got a call from Cubs general manager Jim Hendry.

Rothschild had long desired a way to spend more time in Tampa, home of the Yankees’ training complex and the city in which he and his family had settled. Cashman didn’t consider Rothschild because he was already employed.

But Hendry, who knew of Rothschild’s wishes, told Cashman he would grant permission for an interview, though only with the Yankees.

Like MacPhail a decade ago, it didn’t take long for Cashman to jump on the opportunity.

“He emerged as the lead candidate,” Cashman said. “And after the interview, he was the obvious candidate.”

The Yankees viewed the process as a chance to insert objectivity into a task customarily dominated by subjectivity. Candidates submitted to the standard question-and-answer session. But they were also required to watch a standardized tape of Yankees pitchers and provide detailed breakdowns of their flaws.

For Rothschild, whose pitchers have long marveled at his dedication to film study and the detail of his advance scouting reports, the test highlighted an area of strength.
“He’s always in there doing video, always scouting,” said Neal Cotts, a former Cubs pitcher who is in camp trying to land a spot with the Yankees. “Every series when I was with the Cubs, for every hitter, there was a definite game plan.”

It is why Rothschild exuded confidence after the interview.
Said Rothschild: “I had watched enough tape before I ever walked into that room to know what I looked at.”
Now, the test is real.

As it was when he joined the Cubs, one of his first acts was reaching out to the Yankees’ pitchers, including the troubled Burnett. He has already spent time at the pitcher’s home in Maryland. The goal has been getting Burnett to stop worrying about the tiniest details of his mechanics, to instead focus on attacking the hitter in the batter’s box.
Said Rothschild: “He looked confused on the mound.”

Getting Burnett back in line will hardly be Rothschild’s only task — Cashman insists Rothschild wasn’t brought in specifically to fix the right-hander — but as he begins his tenure with the Yankees it may be the task that’s most pressing.

“I think he’s perfectly capable of going out there and having a good year for us,” Rothschild said. “It’s my job to get him to that point and put him in position to do that.”

[ThePinStripes]

I expect AJ and Phil to have good seasons, and I don't think it's a coincidence that Eiland is gone and Rothschild showed up.

[Ninja0980]

OFF WITH HIS HEAD

I know the season hasn't started yet but I'd figured I'd get the thread prepared for when it does...

[nhyankeefan]

I am really looking forward to see what he can do with our pitchers.

[nnysiny]

prediction: everyone will hate him in a few months, through no fault of his own

[JavyVazquezIsSick]

Prediction: He's going to help. He's competant. Eiland never was.

[Yankee Fan in Boston]

prediction: everyone will hate him in a few months, through no fault of his own

Not sure about that -- if AJ is better (which I expect) and Hughes shows a little improvement, I think he'll get a lot of credit. No one is going to blame him if, say, Garcia or Mitre starts and sucks

[grizy]

“It’s not what builds good athletes,” Rothschild said. “The real good athletes sometimes do things differently. You have to decipher personality-wise, mechanics-wise, is it a hindrance? Is it a help? Where do you go with it? But I’ve always felt that I have enough to individualize things. I’ve never done it any other way.”

I really liked this part.

One of my constant criticisms of Eiland was that he seemed to think there was only one way to pitch.

[Melan-cynic]

prediction: everyone will hate him in a few months, through no fault of his own

Fail.

Prediction: He's going to help. He's competant. Eiland never was.

Win.

[jcarey]

I didn't know he was with the Cubs that long. Does he not get any of the blame for Wood or Prior?

[Rocketbooster]

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports.....RVP3di4N/1

Q: What have you learned about Joba Chamberlain?
A: Joba’s a fun-loving guy. A lot came to him early. He’s very coachable. He listens. He cares.
Q: A.J. Burnett?
A: Similar. He’s willing to commit to what he needs to do to get on track.
Q: Phil Hughes?
A: He has an intense personality when he gets things going in his bullpen. He’s kind of a perfectionist. All the names you mentioned, they’re good people.

I love Rothschild already – he seems like a really good guy and I think he’s going to be a help to our staff

[Ninja0980]

I didn't know he was with the Cubs that long. Does he not get any of the blame for Wood or Prior?

I thought that they threw without inning limits. Isn't inning limits what ruined Joba?

[ring403]

It sure is nice to have a competent pitching coach.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/yanke...Vnf8CzDF5oSJDL

"It felt good, a lot better than the other day," said Sabathia, who was spanked for five runs and six hits in 2 2/3 innings by the Nationals in his previous outing, March 5. "I could actually work on stuff."

After the Nationals got him, Sabathia and Rothschild tinkered with his mechanics.

"Me and Larry worked in the bullpen," Sabathia said. "I have a pause in my delivery. I was floating through it instead of staying through it.

"We worked it out in the bullpen and took it into the game."

[unfamous loser]

many people probably said the same thing about Eiland when he was hired.

too early to make any judgements or proclamations, TBH.

[ring403]

many people probably said the same thing about Eiland when he was hired.

too early to make any judgements or proclamations, TBH.

Except that Rothschild already has a track record of success at the major league level.
Can you find any quotes about Eiland actually helping any pitcher correct a flaw in mechanics? I can't.

[pleasepassthesoup]

many people probably said the same thing about Eiland when he was hired.

too early to make any judgements or proclamations, TBH.

Rothschild has a long history of being a good pitching coach, though. Whether the pitchers do well or not remains to be seen, but we know he's good at his job.

[rajah]

Isn't inning limits what ruined Joba?

Is this a serious question? You really think anyone who posts here knows "what ruined Joba", assuming he is "ruined"? And how could inning limits per se ruin a pitcher?

[unfamous loser]

Except that Rothschild already has a track record of success at the major league level.

he also has some noteworthy failures, in terms of development/handling, that fell under his watch at the major league level (unless we're putting Prior, etc., all on Dusty now).

I don't think he's likely to be a bad PC here by any means, but I also don't think anointing him before a pitch that counts has been thrown is entirely wise either. it'll be awhile before we can make a fair guess as to whether he's right for this job, on this team, and doing well here, in this situation.

[Yankees1962]

he also has some noteworthy failures, in terms of development/handling, that fell under his watch at the major league level (unless we're putting Prior, etc., all on Dusty now).

I don't think he's likely to be a bad PC here by any means, but I also don't think anointing him before a pitch that counts has been thrown is entirely wise either. it'll be awhile before we can make a fair guess as to whether he's right for this job, on this team, and doing well here, in this situation.

Speak for yourself as others have already stated they disagree with you.

[unfamous loser]

Speak for yourself as others have already stated they disagree with you.

salty.

if it makes you feel better, you can mentally change the 'we' to 'anyone' and my point about it being far too early to judge job performance, especially for a guy in a new setting and with new pitchers, fairly still absolutely stands.

[Yankees1962]

Throw more strikes, issue less walks and strikeout more batters. That's what I've notice this spring. Will it carry over to the regular season? We'll soon find out.

[NYCrusader]

Throw more strikes, issue less walks and strikeout more batters. That's what I've notice this spring. Will it carry over to the regular season? We'll soon find out.

Don't get me wrong I love the Rothschild hiring, but are there actually pitching coaches out there telling pitchers to throw less strikes and walk more? I don't understand why a pitching coach would get credit for that...

Pitchers are trying to throw strikes and not walk people...

He should get credit for Hughes regripping his breaking pitch and throwing more of a slider to righties....

[metalboy15]

Thumbs up for making Nova and Hughes throw sliders.