Marcus Thames; The most underappreciated coach in New York

The New York Yankees are 74-39 and nine games up on Tampa Bay for first place in the American League East.  Their pitching staff hasn’t been all that great, so their offense has had to carry them for most of the season.  However, at ever turn of the season the Yankees have had significant injuries throughout their lineup.

Most of their top sluggers have missed significant time on the I.L..  Miguel Andujar and Giancarlo Stanton have missed most of the season and the Yankees didn’t get Didi Gregorius back until midway through the season.  Regardless, the offense has been relentless.  They’ve been the “savages” all season long, as Aaron Boone eluded to in the clip below;

https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1152359966222802944

Boone has been the leader of the clubhouse and has come around as manager of the squad.  He has galvanized this club and let them do their thing.  However, there is one man on his staff that doesn’t get talked about enough.  That man is Marcus Thames, and he deserves all the credit in the world.

It’s no coincidence that every Yankee that comes up from AAA has been raking.  You go down the list and you see guys like Mike Tauchman, Breyvic Valera and Gio Urshela making their marks on this squad.  You see Brett Gardner having a rejuvenated year and a guy like Austin Romine stepping in and contributing big time when Gary Sanchez is out.

Marcus Thames is the key to this team;  He instills confidence in his players and makes sure they’re ready for every pitcher they face.  The Yankees have been much more patient this season, have made pitchers labor with long counts and walks and have struck out a lot less than they did last season.

The Yankees are tops in the league with RISP, and that’s also thanks to Thames.  Having D.J. Lemahieu helps as he’s been the top hitter in the American League with RISP, but Gleyber Torres has hit nearly .400 in that spot and the rest of the team seems to have much more confidence with two strikes on them.

It’s time to give Marcus Thames his due.  He has been an incredible hitting coach and has helped keep the Yankees afloat despite the shocking amount of injuries they’ve had to endure.  Without him and the rest of the staff working tirelessly to get these players prepared, who knows where the Yankees would be.