Imagine that, another unpopular article here on The Greedy
Pinstripes. I can’t help it though. I like to go against the grain and I like
to put my true thoughts, not the popular thoughts, into my articles. This
brings me to Chris Young and his new contract with the all of a sudden
extremely generous Boston Red Sox organization. Chris Young, the Yankees fourth
outfielder and bench player, received $13 million from Boston over the next two
years to fill the same role. Young is getting paid $6.5 million annually to
play occasionally off the bench. Aaron Hicks, the man Brian Cashman deems as
Young’s replacement, is making $525K. Let that sink in a minute. Brian Cashman
is a genius.
Young enters the 2016 season at 32-years old. In a partial
2014 season and a full 2015 season Young batted .252 with 14 home runs and 42
RBI in 318 at bats with the Pinstripes. Young hit .327 against left-handed
pitching and will presumably fill that platoon role in Boston. Imagine Young
facing off against CC Sabathia inside Fenway Park with the Green Monster just
310 feet away. He’s going to pop it up and it still go over the wall. This is
going to get annoying fast but I digress.
Hicks on the other hand is just 26 years old and is a former
first round pick from the Minnesota Twins. Hicks, like Young, can play center
field but Hicks is the better and faster base runner, base stealer and
defensive wizard. Hicks is an obvious upgrade for the Yankees on the defensive
side and the sky is the limit on the offensive side. Hicks is a much better
hitter than his career .225 batting average would suggest and his career .272 average against left-handed pitching as a right-handed batter should also
improve. All that and Hicks is a switch-hitter, just in case you forgot.
The Yankees got depth, versatility, speed, base stealing and
youth with four years of team control left while the Red Sox got a 32-year old
veteran for two years and $13 million. Enjoy that now, the Yankees will enjoy
it later though.
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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)