The New York Yankees are hoping to avenge their lackluster 2023 season. New York finished 82-80 and missed the MLB playoffs. Some have criticized the Yankees’ analytics team, and former All-Star Zack Britton addressed the issue in 2024.
Zack Britton discusses his experience with the Yankees analytics staff.
Britton visited Foul Territory to talk about the approach the analytics team took with him during his time in New York.
“I remember the Yankees going down this rabbit hole of, ‘Hey, let’s tape your grip and try to get other people to throw your sinker.’ Britton stated on Foul Territory TV that his grip on the ball is hereditary rather than a matter of technique.
It appears that Britton and the team did not completely agree on the characteristics of a player’s throwing style. Nonetheless, the analytics team was certainly looking to replicate Britton’s success with other throwers.
The former Yankees relief pitcher served five seasons in New York, with his best season coming in 2019. Britton participated in 66 games that season, striking out 53 batters. He stayed with the team until 2022, when he opted to hang up his jersey.
“After my Yankees contract expired, I considered playing for another year or two. You know, I had two elbow surgeries last year, which did not help. Britton added, “I had offers from teams, but the money wasn’t worth leaving home at this stage.”
The former All-Star had made his home in New York, and due to late-career injury issues, he retired from the NBA.
Britton may be gone from the Yankees, but the franchise has great hopes for the 2024 season. Can they get beyond the hump and make a deep postseason run?
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Ankees’ top prospects lead the list of non-roster invitees for spring training.
The Yankees announced their list of non-roster invitees for spring training on Tuesday afternoon, which includes three of the club’s top prospects.
Spencer Jones, an outfielder, and right-handers Chase Hampton and Will Warren will all be at big league camp this spring.
MLB Pipeline listed Jones as the Yankees’ top prospect in 2023. Baseball America’s updated rankings for the 2024 season put him as the organization’s second-best prospect, trailing only Jasson DomÃnez.
MLB Pipeline ranks Hampton and Warren as the top two pitching prospects in the Yankees farm system. Hampton, like Jones, is a Top 100 baseball prospect according to both magazines.
Catcher Ben Rice, who had an outstanding season with Double-A Somerset in 2023, will also join the Yankees at Steinbrenner Field this spring. The same is true for Caleb Durbin, an infielder who erupted in the Arizona Fall League after a solid campaign in Double-A this past season.
Between the Yankees’ non-roster invitees and their 40-man roster, 66 players are now set to report to spring training in Tampa this month.
Here is the complete list of non-roster invitees for the Yankees, split by position.
NOTE: The names indicated in italics played for another organization in 2023 and signed minor-league contracts with the Yankees this offseason.
Pitchers: (11)
