James Rowson Named New York Yankees Hitting Coach
The New York Yankees announced Monday that James Rowson has been named the club’s hitting coach. Rowson, 47, rejoins the Yankees organization with 22 years of experience as a professional coach, and the 2024 season will mark his 10th on the coaching staff of a Major League club.
Rowson spent last season as an assistant hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers after serving as bench coach for the Miami Marlins from 2020-2022. Prior to his time in Miami, he was a hitting instructor for the Minnesota Twins from 2017 to 2019.
During his three-year stay in Minnesota, the Twins ranked fourth in the Majors in runs scored, fifth in batting average and slugging percentage, sixth in OPS, and seventh in home runs. In 2019, the Twins set a major league record with 307 home runs, while setting club records in runs scored, extra-base hits, slugging, and OPS. That same year, the Twins also ranked second in the Majors in runs, hits, batting average, slugging, and OPS.
The Mount Vernon, New York, native spent nine years in the Yankees organization from 2006-2011 and 2014-16, serving as a minor league hitting coordinator in seven of those years. He also was a hitting coach for Class-A Tampa from 2006-07.
Rowson began his career as an instructor with the Angels organization, spending four years as a minor league hitting coach with various teams.
Rowson was selected by the Mariners in the ninth round of the 1994 Draft before playing three minor league seasons with the Mariners and the Yankees, and then playing in the Heartland League in 1998.