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Mark Newman, a key front-office figure in the Yankees’ 1996-2000 dynasty, died Saturday at 71, The Post has learned. A person familiar with the situation said Newman died in his sleep, though the cause of death was not immediately known. The Yankees held a moment of silence for him before Saturday’s game. Born in 1949, …
Mark Newman, a key front-office figure in the Yankees’ 1996-2000 dynasty, died Saturday at 71, The Post has learned.
A person familiar with the situation said Newman died in his sleep, though the cause of death was not immediately known.
The Yankees held a moment of silence for him before Saturday’s game.
Born in 1949, Newman earned a law degree from Southern Illinois University, where he also played baseball. After serving as the head coach of Old Dominion University from 1981 to 1989, he joined the Yankees’ development staff in 1989, based in Tampa, and he rose from their coordinator of minor-league instruction to vice president of player development and scouting to senior vice president of baseball operations, working for the Yankees until 2014.
He played an integral role in the development of the Yankees’ core quintet — Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams — who led the club’s drive to championships in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000.
“To think of all the players, coaches and managers that this man developed is amazing,” said Rob Thomson, the former Yankees coach who spent several years working for Newman at the Tampa complex before joining the big-league coaching staff. “They talk about the Bill Walsh coaching tree… Mark Newman’s isn’t too far off!”
Upon his arrival, Newman created a 500-page “Yankee System Development Manual” to create uniformity in instruction and development throughout their organization. He eventually gained enough power to have a say in major-league transactions as well.
“As coaches, we can only hope we can positively impact as many people as Mark Newman did,” said Pat Roessler, the former Mets hitting coach who worked under Newman in Yankees development for several years.
