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| Tell it like it is! |
The New York Yankees haven't won a World Series since 2009. The All-Star game is upon us and the Yankees are so far behind Tampa Bay they’d need a telescope to locate them. New York might be good enough to stumble upon a wild card, but as I have insisted for several years, the Yankees are a poorly constructed team unlikely to win a World Series. Management has said that the Yankees don’t rebuild, they reload. Sorry, but can’t spend their way out of a mess that they spent their way into. They need to rebuild and here are a few starters.
1. Hire a Manager not a Cheerleader.
Aaron Boone was once an October hero. Does that
qualify him to manage? He had several 100-win seasons when he had stacked
lineups. Now he has a lousy roster that he makes worse. He has already exhausted
the bullpen, and he loyally puts guys in the lineup who shouldn’t even be on
the roster. We never hear of him chewing out guys who make boneheaded mistakes
and he remains loyal to hitting coach Dillon Lawson whose theory of
batting is to swing for the fences on every pitch. He is also supportive of
pitching coach Matt Blake who is more impressed by mph than where the
pitches are located. Blake has ruined Domingo German who was never
flashy but won games. (He recently threw a perfect game and promptly got bombed in his next outing.)
2. Past Laurels Wilt
General manager Brian Cashman bears responsibility for the roster. Yes, he built teams that won the World Series but that last happened in 2009. The game has changed, and he hasn’t. The payroll is too high for too little sizzle, and he has made bad decisions such not getting a left fielder, holding on to Gleyber Torres to the point where he has minimal trade value, and to Estevan Florial and Deivi Garcia until they have none whatsoever. He is not the person to rebuild the roster.
3. Buy New Toys, not Used Ones
I don’t fault Cashman for signing Giancarlo Stanton who was 29 when the Yankees got him. I do put it on Cashman for acquiring washed up players such as Josh Donaldson, Jay Bruce, J. A. Happ, Corey Kluber, Andrew Heaney, and the never-immortal Aaron Hicks. Some of those players were once decent, but all were in decline when Cashman got them. New York needs a new leader who build or acquire new toys.
4. Do Your Homework!
I like Anthony Rizzo, but is there anyone in MLB who doesn’t know he has a bad back? Did the Yankees even discuss whether Joey Gallo would hit above .200? Who was the genius who decided to trade for Frankie Montas, who actually flunked his physical? Cashman has also signed others such as James Paxton and Carlos Rodon who have spent more time on the injured list than on the mound. He gave a contract to Tommy Kahnle who was recovering from surgery and let two better relievers walk away.
5. Not All Injuries are Bad Luck
Of all of management’s blather, the most tiresome is that the Yankees have had bad luck with injuries. They blame their current woes on losing Aaron Judge. He’s a huge loss, but last I looked, a MLB roster has 26 members, not one. Don’t all of the injuries suggest that New York needs to have better minor league development and trainers? Lock the weight room and break out the yoga mats; flexibility is a prerequisite for staying healthy during an 8-month season
6. Subtraction by Division.
The current roster is loaded with players who shouldn’t be there. This includes Anthony Volpe, a potential star if they don’t ruin his confidence first. (He seems to be adjusting, but don't wait if he slumps!) At least Volpe is a serious player, which is more than I can say for retreads such as Donaldson, Greg Allen, Jake Bowers, Willy Calhoun, or Franchy Cordero.
There are others who need to be moved so that younger players can take their places. Stanton tops the list. He was once good but now can’t buy a base hit and is making an enormous amount of money. The Dodgers are a possible trade partner because they need more power and Stanton can swat homers. Take what you can get and dump his contract.
In March, some analysts who haven’t been paying attention predicted that Clarke Schmidt would make the All-star team. Nope! If a pitcher hasn’t developed by 27, he’s not likely to, so package him and say goodbye.
Jose Trevino had a very nice year in 2022, but that was probably his career year. They have Ben Rortveldt in the minor leagues whom they traded to get, so I would move Trevino before he reverts to normal. I’m sad to see the decline of D. J. LeMahieu, but he would be a nice fit on a true contender. I would also be tempted to trade Harrison Bader, a fine player, but can opt out of his contract after the World Series. Why on earth would he not do that, given the state of the Yankees?
7. Reward Performance, not Projections
Face it, analytics have failed the Yankees miserably. It’s time to listen to real baseball people like scouts. It took analysts three years to admit what field scouts told them: Gary Sanchez can’t catch. Projections are like IQ scores, of no practical use unless results follow potential. Sanchez was a disaster and they had to trade the reliable Gio Urshella just to get rid of Sanchez. The analytics people didn’t like Urshella and they were foolishly wrong. They’re not very fond of Billy McKinney either, but he is their leading hitter.
Numbers geeks encourage the Yankees to sign players as tall as Judge without considering he could be one of a kind. Thus far, minor league results on copycat hitters have been underwhelming. I am not a fan of MLB innovations such as ghost runners or the pitch clock, but that’s the way the game is played today. It is also how New York should draft and develop players. They need speed, considerably more contact hitters, and those who put up high on-base percentages. The current Yankees only score when they hit homers and that doesn’t cut it anymore.
8. Skills Wanted Here
The Yankees have poor baseball IQ. They commit too many errors, outfielders miss cut off men with idiotic hero heaves, the hit-and-run is rare as a dodo, and no one knows how to bunt. If the 10th inning begins with a ghost runner on 2nd, shouldn’t you bunt him to 3rd so he can score against a drawn-in infield or fly ball? Choke up when you need to make contact. No excuses for striking out when a runner is in scoring position. None.
9. Rebuild
The Yankees must understand that a high payroll is no guarantee of success in the postseason. Rebuild the farm system, scout better, and develop young talent. Face it; owner Hal Steinbrenner isn’t going to throw more money after bad. Why should he? He will make a profit whether or not the Yankees stink. Rebuild. At the very least the Yankees will have a more entertaining team.
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