NEW YORK -- Long-term job security was not on the table when Alan Cockrell discussed his future with the Yankees last month, agreeing to take on the challenge of serving as the club's third hitting coach in three seasons. The expectations of the position are clear.
Cockrell was promoted from his post as assistant hitting coach, in which he served under the dismissed Jeff Pentland and helped oversee a lineup that ranked second in the Majors in runs scored (764) and fourth in homers (212), but fizzled down the stretch before being shut out by the Astros in the American League Wild Card Game.