One of the New York Yankees' starters who underwent season-ending surgery is expected to begin throwing bullpen sessions this month. On the offensive side of the ball, the team hired a hitting coach on Sunday.
C.C. Sabathia was placed on the 15-day disabled list in May with knee inflammation. The left-hander was then shut down for the season following surgery to repair a degenerative ailment after just eight starts. On Saturday, Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News noted Sabathia should start throwing bullpen sessions by the end of January.
The 34-year-old is one of the many question marks in the Yankees' starting rotation for the 2015 season. However, it appears he should be expanding his offseason workout relatively soon, but he doesn't plan on reporting to spring training early with the rest of the team. Masahiro Tanaka (elbow), Ivan Nova (Tommy John surgery) and Michael Pineda (shoulder) all experienced injury woes last season and their ability to stay healthy is questionable.
General manager Brian Cashman acquired Nathan Eovaldi from the Miami Marlins and re-signed left-hander Chris Capuano to give the starting rotation some insurance.
As for the offense, the team is expected to hire Jeff Pentland as their hitting coach and Alan Cockrell as his assistant, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network. This long awaited decision came three months after the team dismissed Kevin Long following eight seasons with the team. New York had their worst offensive season in years, ranking 22nd in runs scored (633), 20th in average (.245) and 26th in strikeouts (1,133).
According to Brendan Kuty of NJ.com, Pentland was the hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2008-2011), Seattle Mariners (2005-2008), Kansas City Royals (2003-2005) and Chicago Cubs (1997-2002). New York previously interviewed Chili Davis, Dave Magadan and James Rowson for the position, but ultimately decided on the 68-year-old Pentland. Raul Ibanez was also speculated to be a candidate for the job.
His new assistant, Cockrell, served as the hitting coach for the Rockies from 2006-2008 and then the Seattle Mariners from 2008-2010. The Rockies were one of the best offensive teams in the league during Cockrell's stint in 2007, during which the team reached the World Series and fell to the Boston Red Sox.
Although the Yankees may not be done yet making moves, the addition of a hitting coach and the news of Sabathia's progress are certainly promising.