eric cressey

New York Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton is ripped ahead of 2020 spring training (WATCH)

by
New York Yankees, Giancarlo Santon

With spring training right around the corner, the New York Yankees are prepared to enter the next stages of offseason baseball, but for most players, it’s just a continuation of their routine. Wake up, work out, practice, prepare.

It’s no different for slugger Giancarlo Stanton who has worked tirelessly to return from injury bigger and better in 2020. Lately, he’s taken his workouts to an even more intense level, using a sledgehammer to batter a tire to build core muscle strength. This is part of his routine to ensure baseballs leave the ballpark rather quickly.

Check out this latest video of Stanton being ripped:

While Stanton only appeared in 18 games last season, totaling three homers over 59 at-bats, he looks healthy and ready to go for spring training.

Can we expect Stanton to return to form for the New York Yankees?

Overall, losing Stanton for the post-season was significant, as it hurt the Yankees’ run-production and slugger presence. His lack of availability during the regular season didn’t seem to be much of a burden considering the team reached 103-wins. However, Giancarlo’s influence extends far beyond the regular season, his efficiency in the home run department is essential to the Yankees, as they’ve adopted a style that relies heavily on the long-ball.

Not having arguably their best home run hitter in the lineup proved to be a factor that led to their exit in the ALCS against the Houston Astros. Not to mention the Astros cheated their way to the World Series (again), but who knows if Stanton’s influence would have improved the Bomber’s chances.

Gaining him back healthy will give the team a huge boost, and mitigating any concern over past ailments will be the priority. Thankfully, the hiring of new strength and conditioning coach, Eric Cressey, should play a big part in Stanton’s return to form.

What the New York Yankees are doing to reduce injuries in 2020

by
New York Yankees, Luke Voit

During the 2019 season, the New York Yankees fell ill to the injury bug, suffering 39 different stints on the injured list. Subsequently, their now former strength and conditioning coach, Matt Kraus, who had been with the team for years, was fired and replaced.

New health coach, Eric Cressey, will take over for Kraus, installing a new system that should minimalize soft tissue injuries and reduce the overall frequency of damages.

Aside from the behemoth signing of Gerrit Cole, the overall of the backend health staff marks the second-largest change for the Yankees this offseason. Notably, Cressey becomes the Director of Player Health and Performance, while Steve Donohue will be moved to Head Athletic Trains and Director of Medical Services.

“Steve brings a wealth of information in terms of the flow of baseball, the travel schedule that dynamic. He knows all the players incredible well, but he is also very, very networked within the game,” Creesey said. “We can lean on Steve’s network really heavily so there’s a wealth of information we absolutely plan to to tap into that a ton and I’m really excited to work with him.”

The Yankees’ pitching coach position was also turned over, as Matt Blake, formerly of the Cleveland Indians, will feature in the role, previously held by Larry Rothschild. Reportedly, Blake’s influence was a significant reason the Yanks were able to lure Cole to the Bronx, as his modernized approach towards spin-rate and overall pitching represented the team’s progressive mentality.

Moving forward, we should hope to see fewer injuries, especially during the preseason. In 2019, Dellin Betances and Giancarlo Stanton, two significant players, missed the entire season virtually with individual injuries. This hurt the Yankees’ chances of reaching the World Series, and while a lack of run support ended up being the primary reason for their demise, Betances’ skill-set might have been a difference-maker in game six (bullpen game).

 

The two biggest changes the Yankees made this offseason

by
New York Yankees, Aaron Boone, Gerrit Cole

The 2019 season proved that the New York Yankees have the talent to win a World Series, but their lack of run support in the ALCS held them back from the ultimate goal. Timeliness and momentum played a significant part in the demise of the team late in the season. Still, they sought to address the deficiencies this offseason, starting with the starting pitching rotation.

Owner Hal Steinbrenner gave GM Brian Cashman the green light to explore every avenue in free agency, and the team elected to spend a big chunk of their money in one spot — Gerrit Cole. Steinbrenner signed off on a nine-year, $324 deal to feature as the Yankees’ ace, alongside Luis Severino, James Paxton, and others.

That was the first significant change the Yankees brought upon themselves to help supplement a lack of starting pitching support last season and the 63-game suspension to Domingo German.

However, the second change might have been the most significant of all, and that was the overhaul of the strength and conditioning program.

How did the New York Yankees address their injury issues?

In 2019, 30 Yankee players spent 39 separate stints on the injured list. Multiple players were forced to miss virtually the entire season, putting reserve players in positions to start and make significant impacts on the team’s success. The Bombers still managed to scrape 103 wins out of an injury-riddled campaign.

Last month, the Yanks fired their strength and conditioning coach, Matt Krause, after spending six seasons with the club. A lot of the injuries seemed to be soft-tissue issues that emerged with over-use, but the increasing amount couldn’t be ignored.

The Athletic’s Lindsay Adler reported that the Yankees would hire Eric Cressey to take Krause’s place. Cressey is highly regarded in the industry and is expected to make sweeping changes across the regimen. Having worked with All-Star pitchers Noah Syndergaard, Corey Kluber, and Max Scherzer, Cressey will work closely with Gerrit Cole to ensure his health.

The Yankees’ longtime athletic trainer Stevie Donohue will also be moved to a different role after serving in the same position since 1986. Keeping him was a loyal move by the Steinbrenners, but changes needed to be made.