It is straightforward to say it’s been solely two weeks of video games, a bunch of them performed in unseasonably chilly and depressing situations, after an abbreviated spring coaching. The solely drawback with that clarification for the Yankees’ hard-to-watch, inept hitting is that this isn’t simply two weeks however fairly an extension of what we witnessed all of final season.
Maybe this all turns round — heck, the Red Sox hitters are off to an excellent worse begin, their .284 OBP after 13 video games their worst since 1963 — however theirs is actually the identical lineup that completed third within the majors in runs and OPS final yr and with almost 100 fewer strikeouts than the Yankees. Going into the weekend, the Yankees’ 3.0 runs per recreation common was twenty fifth within the majors, their common 3.69 runners left in scoring place twenty eighth. With two outs and a runner on third base, the Yankees have been 4-for-45 (.089), twenty sixth worst in line with the Elias Bureau. And that they had scored greater than 5 runs solely as soon as.
After related maddening inconsistency final yr, Brian Cashman selected to double down on analytics and employed not one however two analytics hitting instructors in Dillon Lawson and Casey Dykes, neither of whom ever performed within the majors. But in wanting on the composition of this Yankee workforce, it’s honest to ask if Cashman’s obsession with analytics isn’t on the root of this now one year-plus hitting malaise.
Take Joey Gallo, who is completely misplaced on the plate. When the Yankees acquired him from Texas they knew what they have been getting — a 40-homer man who was going to strike out over 175 instances, stroll 75 instances and do nothing in between. That didn’t hassle the analytics folks who cherished all of the homers and walks and will stay with the strikeouts. But as everyone knows, the one factor a few participant that doesn’t present up within the stats or the metrics is make-up. Whenever Gene Michael was making a commerce or contemplating signing a participant, his No. 1 standards was at all times: Can this participant play in New York? Gallo is a pleasant man and an excellent teammate within the clubhouse. He simply can’t play in New York.
Then there’s Gleyber Torres who, till final yr, Cashman had at all times touted as his all-time finest commerce acquisition. He, too, is misplaced on the plate and has been in regular decline since his 38-homer season in 2019. What’s clear is Torres isn’t going to be the participant Cashman thought he was. What’s additionally clear is that whereas analytically-inspired a number of lineups may fit for the Tampa Bay Rays as a result of they’ve on-the-cheap platoon gamers at almost each place, they don’t seem to be relevant to the Yankees, who don’t have these sort of gamers. DJ LeMahieu and Josh Donaldson have to be taking part in each day at second and third respectively, and whereas they’re at it, it’s time the Yankee brass lastly conceded that Kyle Higashioka isn’t an excellent hitter, not a first-string catcher and begin shifting Jose Trevino into the No. 1 job.
Cashman’s contract is up on the finish of this yr and Hal Steinbrenner appears just about married to him in addition to being all-in on the analytics. But if this turns into one other season of exasperatingly unwatchable baseball within the Bronx, when does Steinbrenner begin to ask: “How did I come to paying $245 million for this?”
IT’S A MADD, MADD WORLD
The Hall of Fame’s restructuring of the Era Committees introduced Friday appears to be a serious enhance for Lou Piniella, who missed election by one vote 4 years in the past when his poll final got here up. Under the brand new restructuring, the period committees can be decreased from 4 (Today’s Game, Modern Baseball, Golden Days, Early Baseball) to 2 (Contemporary Baseball Era, publish 1980; Classic Baseball Era, pre-1980) — with the Contemporary Era divided into two separate eight-person ballots, one for gamers and the second for managers, executives and umpires. Under the previous system, the 10-person period committee ballots have been all inclusive — gamers, managers, execs and so on., all bunched into one, and with Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa all coming off the Baseball Writers Association poll this yr, and different current Baseball Writers rejects like Fred McGriff and Kenny Lofton additionally more likely to be added, a supervisor won’t even have made the poll this yr. It was presumably for that cause the Hall determined to interrupt up the ballots, giving deserving managers particularly a greater likelihood of being elected. That’s the excellent news for Piniella. The dangerous information is he’s going to have to attend one other yr as, below the brand new course of, the ballots can be in a three-year cycle, with the Contemporary Era players-only poll arising for 2023, the managers/execs poll in 2024 and the Classic Era poll (which can be all-encompassing — gamers, managers, execs) — in 2025. Another notable beneficiary of the restructuring would appear to be Dick Allen, who missed by one vote in every of his final activates the Golden Days Era poll, however will now be on the pre-1980 Classic Era poll because the clear standout candidate. …
There was a lot media hullabaloo final week on the announcement of A’s icon Dave Stewart heading up a gaggle looking for to acquire an MLB growth workforce for Nashville. Only drawback is it’s by no means going to occur. MLB sources have instructed me that regardless of Commissioner Rob Manfred’s periodic whimsies about eventual growth to 32 groups and two 16-team leagues with two eight-team divisions, there isn’t a urge for food for growth among the many house owners. In addition, there’s fierce opposition, led by the Reds and Braves, to Nashville ever getting a workforce, growth or not. (Sorry Stu Sternberg). Even although Nashville is method past their territorial rights, it’s nonetheless simply 273 miles from Cincinnati and 250 miles from Atlanta — and that’s what’s bought the Braves and Reds fired up in opposition — and they’re stated to have loads of assist from the opposite golf equipment. …
Belated kudos to Steve Cohen and the Mets for naming the Citi Field press field after the venerable Jay Horwitz, who on his podcast, April 26, will interview Bill Parcells. In the podcast, the two-time Super Bowl-winning coach reveals that baseball was really his past love when he was a three-sport star at River Dell High School in Oradell, N.J. however shifted gears to soccer after his father refused to let him stop faculty and settle for a bonus from the Phillies.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com