For the second consecutive season, the Yankees’ top-heavy offense capsized within the playoffs, possible instigating some kind of shakeup to subsequent season’s lineup.
Each dying ember of perception through the American League Championship Series was crushed by Houston’s mighty arms. The Yankees have been an excellent hitting workforce through the common season — prime 5 in wRC+, on-base share, slugging share, stroll fee, residence runs and common exit velocity — however because the postseason will educate you, there’s at all times room to get higher. In truth, the 2022 disappointment ought to educate the Yankees that getting higher is a requirement, not a suggestion.
With an enormous a part of their offense strapped to Aaron Judge’s imposing shoulders, which carried them towards a lot of these prime 5 rankings, the Yankees may simply be undone when Judge and his well-known teammates slumped or received injured. An complete overhaul isn’t completely needed. Again, the Yankees have been what many groups try to be within the batter’s field. But there are a couple of areas which can be ripe for enchancment. There are some in-the-weeds superior stats which can be a bit puzzling (as an example, the Yankees ranked twenty eighth out of 30 groups in line drive fee) however three apparent issues stand out when digging by way of this workforce’s offensive statistics.
SHORTSTOP
This was an issue going into the yr, and it by no means received higher. Yankee shortstops slashed .247/.308/.316, which might have been much more palatable in the event that they received reliable protection on the place. That’s basically what occurred at catcher, the place Jose Trevino’s bat fell into the Harlem River after the All-Star break, however his receiving skills behind the plate nonetheless made him a particularly helpful participant.
That wasn’t the case for the shortstops, a gaggle composed primarily of Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Marwin Gonzalez and Oswald Peraza. Oswaldo Cabrera and Gleyber Torres mixed to begin 4 video games there within the common season, however that aforementioned trio is the explanation for the frightful numbers, notably Kiner-Falefa.
The Yankees have been certainly one of simply seven groups with a collective shortstop wRC+ of 80 or worse. Being 20% worse than league common at a wildly talent-rich place is an entire failure of the group. Everyone is aware of the story by now, how the Yankees handed on Carlos Correa, Corey Seager and Marcus Semien in free company final winter to economize, plug a stopgap at shortstop, and wait for his or her prospects to reach. Correa, Seager and Semien every posted a wRC+ of 107 or higher, slugged .425 and popped at the least 22 residence runs.
Meanwhile, the fellows the Yankees performed at shortstop had an 80 wRC+, slugged an American League-worst .316 and hit 4 residence runs, tied with the Nationals for fewest in your entire league. It didn’t must be this manner, however the Yankees selected to get cute. It’s nonetheless attainable that this transfer will ultimately repay if Peraza or Anthony Volpe blossoms into one thing lovely — Cabrera appears destined for a DJ LeMahieu-esque utility function — however prospects are removed from a positive factor.
Soon-to-be free brokers like Xander Bogaerts, Trea Turner or Correa, who’ll be on the open market once more after opting out of his cope with the Twins, are about as positive as positive issues get. Assuming the Yankees sit out the shortstop sweepstakes once more, they’ll be in the very same place they have been final yr when your entire metropolis was up in arms: placing an unproven participant at shortstop whereas the groups round them fortunately pay for higher choices.
LEFT-HANDED HITTING
Most of that is that the Yankees merely want extra.
Only three AL groups had fewer plate appearances by left-handed hitters, a mind-blowing stat for a workforce whose proper discipline fence is 314 toes away. While Anthony Rizzo’s slugging share made a number of the different numbers look OK, the Yankees’ lefties had a dismal .214 batting common. With Rizzo anticipated to say no his participant choice and take a look at free company, there’s a world through which the Yankees lose their solely actually convincing left-handed hitter.
One tantalizing resolution to this has spent the final seven seasons in a special borough. Brandon Nimmo, who will develop into a free agent after the World Series, is a lefty with a .281 common over the past three years. Signing Nimmo would make the Yankees extra left-handed, add some velocity, athleticism and base operating and function stable Judge insurance coverage ought to No. 99 go away.
If they arrive again to 2023 with an overwhelmingly right-handed lineup once more, the Yankees develop into a lot simpler to pitch to and recreation plan for. Re-signing Andrew Benintendi would assist too, and so will extra enjoying time for the switch-hitting Cabrera, however they’ll’t hold having 71% of their plate appearances come from the best aspect.
SWING THE BAT
Patience was a pillar of the workforce’s offense, however at a sure level an excessive amount of endurance turns into dangerous inactivity.
While their calculated reluctance led to the Yankees being the one workforce in Major League Baseball with a double-digit stroll fee, it additionally put them close to the highest of the leaderboard in a wierd class.
Only the Cleveland Guardians watched extra pitches proper down the center than the Yankees. Even extra curious, when Yankee hitters have been forward within the depend, they took extra pitches within the blissful zone than another workforce. The first statistic may be defined with extra context, as a few of these pitches got here in 3-0 counts after they weren’t going to swing it doesn’t matter what, and a few of them got here in 0-0 counts after they’re making an attempt to keep away from making a first-pitch out.
But passing on center-cut pitches in 2-0, 2-1, or 3-1 counts may be very odd, particularly when hitting coach Dillon Lawson bases his entire livelihood on the concept that his guys ought to hit strikes onerous. When the hitters are forward within the depend, they need to be on the lookout for pitches proper over the center of the plate, not spitting on them. The Yankees additionally, unsurprisingly, did a whole lot of harm on these meatballs after they did swing, slugging .610 on middle-middle pitches. Their general numbers can be even higher, and the offense can be far more watchable, in the event that they elevated their swing share on these pitches slightly than constantly placing themselves deeper into the depend.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com