Yankees add Don Wakamatsu to scouting staff

December 27, 2012 by Mike Axisa 19 Comments

Via Ken Davidoff: The Yankees have added Don Wakamatsu to their pro scouting staff. The former Mariners manager has held various big league coaching and minor league instructor positions with several teams through the years, but I have no idea what kind of talent evaluator he is. I am a fan of having lots of voices in the front office though, so hooray for adding another one.

Andy in Sunny Daytona

If the Yankees can pick up Kurt Suzuki to go with Kyle Higashioka and Don Wakamatsu, they will have cornered the market on current and former Japanese/American catchers.
- J6takish
  
  Isn’t Kurt Suzuki Hawaiian?
  - Brian S.
    
    He’s from California you racists.
    - Ted Nelson
      
      California, Hawaii, what’s the difference?
      
      Japanese-American is not Japanese, by the way.
    - Monterowasnotdinero
      
      Everyone’s a rittle bit lacist….
      
      /Avenue Q
      - hitstotheface
        
        And every white dude is a little bit pedophile.
    - LeftyLarry
      
      Why is pointing out ethnicity racist?
      
      Stop the PC nonsense, all it is , is an attack on liberty and free speech.
      - Robinson Tilapia
        
        If only I’d awoken 20 minutes ago. I could have saved you from uttering that second sentence, and bad grammar, by assuring you it was all in jest.
Robinson Tilapia

It will only help Kuroda and Ichiro all the more to know they have a friend who has their back on the scouting staff.

#bigmember
- Reggie C.
  
  Wakamatsu liked the large Chinese American population in the metro region.
  
  #bigmember
crawdaddie

That’s the second former manager added this offseason to the scouting staff. Also, the new Charleston manager is the third former MLB manager.
mark

Should have spent the extra coin on RussMart.
- Get Phelps Up
  
  What does that have to do with Wakamatsu?
  - The Doctor (formerly known as G formerly known as Matt Smith formerly known as David Tennant formerly known as…etc)
    
    Evidently scouting staff salary counts towards the salary cap.
  - Robinson Tilapia
    
    Nothing, but mark will hang up and listen to what you have to say, Tom, er, Bob….
Chesser

Well, if the new CBA limits the amount of money you can spend on amateur talent, and your self-imposed salary cap limits the amount you can spend on major league talent, perhaps it makes sense for a deep-pocketed team to sink a ton of money into scouting, player development, and coaches.
- Andy Pettitte’s Fibula (formerly Manny’s BanWagon)
  
  New strategy by the Yankees.
  
  Hire EVERY possible managerial candidate and force the other teams to use player-coaches.
Strat

Nice hire… But can he catch a fly with chop-sticks?

#miyagidojo.com
MannyGeee

The missing piece in the Montero/Pineda trade: the Player (scout) To Be Named (much much much) Later…

#ninjacashman