In a bid to improve their hitting performance, the New York Yankees have hired James Rowson as their new hitting coach. Rowson, who previously worked with Yankees' star player Aaron Judge in the minor leagues, joins the team after a disappointing season where they finished with the second-worst batting average in the major leagues.

The decision to hire Rowson came after the mid-season firing of Dillon Lawson, marking the first in-season coaching change for the Yankees since 1995. Lawson was replaced by Sean Casey, who declined to return for the 2024 season. With the team's lackluster hitting performance, the Yankees were determined to bring in an experienced coach who could help turn things around.

Rowson, 47, has a strong background in coaching and a history with the Yankees' organization. He served as the hitting coach for Class A Tampa in 2006 and '07 and went on to become the Yankees' minor league hitting coordinator from 2008 to '11 and 2014 to '16. During those years, he played a significant role in guiding Judge through the farm system and helping him develop into a successful player.

After leaving the Yankees, Rowson joined the Chicago Cubs as their minor league hitting coordinator in 2012 before being promoted to major league hitting coach from June 2012 to the end of the 2013 season. He then served as the hitting coach for the Minnesota Twins from 2017 to '19 and was the Miami Marlins' bench coach from 2020 to '22 under the management of former Yankees captain Don Mattingly. Rowson most recently worked as the Detroit Tigers' assistant hitting coach this year.

Rowson's appointment comes after a challenging season for the Yankees in terms of hitting. With a team batting average of .227, they ranked just above the Oakland Athletics (.223) and recorded the third lowest batting average in Yankees history. The team's hitting struggles contributed to them missing out on the playoffs for the first time since 2016, narrowly avoiding their first losing season since 1992.

With Rowson's wealth of experience and his prior relationship with Aaron Judge, the Yankees hope that his guidance and expertise will lead to a significant improvement in the team's hitting performance. As the off-season approaches, the team will be looking to make necessary adjustments and come back stronger in the 2024 season.