Pedrique’s influence on the next generation of Yankees

By César Augusto Márquez

The Yankees function like a well oiled machine. They lead the big leagues in home runs and OPS, and the pitching staff is fifth in strikeouts.

Part of the machine that Aaron Boone operates these days was developed by the same man who discovered the 2017 American League Most Valuable Player Jose Altuve of the Astros.

Alfredo Pedrique, the second Venezuelan manager in big league history and current first base coach of the Oakland A’s, was in charge of four different minor-league affiliates with the New York Yankees organization.

“Nothing that they’re doing surprises me,” Pedrique said. “Over the previous five years, I had the privilege to manage a generation of very talented players that is now the present for the New York Yankees.”

Luis Severino, Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar, Tyler Austin, Aaron Judge are a few of the current Yankees who were developed by Pedrique.

“In reality, the talent was already there,” Pedrique said. “I only worked on guiding them and correcting some other things that were necessary at certain times.”

Pedrique was honored as the International League Manager of the Year in his final two seasons before joining the A’s.
Pedrique smiles when asked about the qualities that stood out when he worked with some of the Baby Bombers.

“Aaron Judge is a great player, always had great power,” he said. “He’s a slugger, but he’s also a person who always has fun. He’s always smiling with his teammates. Gleyber is one of the most talented players of his generation, at least in my opinion.

“He’s a very mature young man, and I think that’s something that he’s showing now. Severino has always been a very talented pitcher. I think he only needed to work on a few small things. Look at what he’s doing this year and what he did last year. Gary Sanchez has had a pair of seasons to show that he’s a very talented offensive catcher in the majors.”

In a little more than a quarter of the season the Yankees have the best record in baseball. They appear destined to fight a tight battle with the Boston Red Sox after advancing to the American League Championship Series last year.

Now they also have Torres and Miguel Andujar, who have been important contributors since their debuts this year.

Pedrique, who played in the big leagues in 1987 and 1989, has held many roles in his career. He was a special assistant to the general manager, a bench coach and director of Latin America with the Houston Astros.

His knowledge of the Astros organization and the Yankees allows him to see some parallels between the 2017 World Series champion and the 2018 Yankees.

“If I have to compare the two organizations, I think that in both cases the talent grew in the minor leagues before giving fruit,” he said. “When a crew of talented players grows together and has time playing together like that, the possibility exists that the success they have in the minor leagues can be repeated in the majors.

“In the Yankees’ case, the teams that I managed the last two years at Triple-A finished with the best record. I think that talent is what makes this generation so interesting.”

Some of the players he managed in the minors view Pedrique’s contributions as important keys to their development.
“Alfredo is the type of manager that gives advice,” said Severino, who was managed by Pedrique since he was at Class A Charleston.

“He is somebody who has a lot of knowledge about the game, and the passes it along with the players he manages.” – Luis Severino

The Baby Bombers also place great value in the ability to have played together in the minors for several years.
“I think that the chance to play together since we were in the minors has helped us gel better because we know each other really well,” Andujar said. “And that’s part of being a team.”

During five years with the Yankees organization his name was mentioned as a potential candidate to manage the big league club. He never garnered a formal interview, though, before Boone was hired.

He then accepted an offer from his former teammate, Billy Beane, to become the A’s first base coach

“They were five good years in that organization,” he said. “I had the privilege to honor a very talented generation, and I’m happy to see that they’re showing their talent at this moment.”

Featured Image: Icon Sportswire

Inset Image: Victor Decolongon / Getty Images Sport