Connected to essentially all of the top free agents available, the New York Yankees are set to have a busy offseason. But before making any massive changes to their roster, the Yankees made sure to finalize their coaching staff.
New York has hired Dan Fiorito has their new first base/infield/baserunning coach, the team announced. He is replacing Travis Chapman, who joined the Detroit Tigers are their new minor league field coordinator, via Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Fiorito has a long history with the Yankees organization, starting out when he was still playing baseball. He signed with the team after a tryout in 2012. Fiorito ended up playing four years of minor league baseball before getting released.
But his time with the Yankees was far from over. He became a coach in their minor league system starting with the 2017 season. Fiorito has gone on to serve as the manager of numerous New York minor league teams. While managing the Double-A Somerset Patriots in 2022, Fiorito was named the Eastern League Manager of the Year.
As a first base coach, he won't make as many decisions as he did when managing. However, he now will have big league experience. Furthermore, he is clearly both trusted and respected inside the organization. If he continues on his upward trajectory, Fiorito should continue climbing the MLB ranks.
But for the 2026 season, Fiorito will focus on being the best first base coach he can be. The Yankees will enter the season with lofty expectations. The rest of the offseason will be telling in terms of which direction the team wants to head.
