MLB pitching coaches are far from famous, and sometimes seem to exist to soak up criticism. Entering this season, however, that was far from the case for Matt Blake of the Yankees. Plucked from the pitching rich Cleveland system, Blake earned heaps of praise in 2021 and to open 2022. His ability to turn reclamation project pitchers into above average producers was especially impressive. When Minnesota’s pitching coach left the team earlier in the season to take more money coaching in NCAA baseball, keeping Blake happy enough to stop him from doing the same was a real discussion point.
The legend of Matt Blake has taken a few hits
