The New York Yankees offense is struggling in the worst way
this season. Many key contributors have struggled or are currently struggling
and the team’s issues with hitting with runners in scoring position are already
well documented across the Yankees blogosphere. Brian Cashman won’t fix it.
He’s already said as much as we learned earlier today. So how can the Yankees
“kick start themselves” and turn this thing around without an addition or a
trade?
You can start by benching Chase Headley. The Boston Red Sox
had no problem telling Pablo Sandoval, who makes almost twice as much as
Headley does before you make this about money, to ride the bench and earn his
spot so why do the Yankees refuse to? Headley is hitting for zero power, he
isn’t getting any extra-base hits and even his walks are negated by everything
else. His defense is stellar at times and atrocious at others and his line
drive percentages and other advanced metrics just aren’t giving anyone a warm
and fuzzy feeling right now. Headley finished the month of April with a .150
slugging percentage. Let that sink in, only 12 players in MLB history have done
that. Put in Ronald Torreyes, call up Robert Refsnyder, do what you have to do
but it’s obvious that this experiment is not working.
Give Dustin Ackley more at bats. Ackley finished the month
of April with just 16 at-bats after being donned the Yankees super utility
player in the spring. Aaron Hicks has almost twice as many at-bats as Ackley
and he has a pair of hits to show for it. Ackley gave the Yankees a spark and
some good at-bats at the end of last season after coming off the disabled list
and it bothers me to think he is rotting on the Yankees bench while Headley
stinks up the joint.
Add chemistry. The Yankees 2015 squad was littered with team
chemistry. You could see it on the field and you could see it in the dugout.
They are painting a much different picture here thus far in 2016. Is Nick
Swisher the answer for that? Is there a clear and concise answer for that? This
I do not know but this team looks bored, complacent and lackadaisical right now
and it’s showing not only on the field but in the wins and loss columns as
well.
The final way to improve the offense is to fix the pitching.
Send Luis Severino down, insert Ivan Nova into the starting rotation, move CC
Sabathia to the bullpen, pitch Masahiro Tanaka every second or third day. Do
what you have to do but desperate times call for desperate measures and the
Yankees have to be feeling awfully desperate right about now, aren’t they?
Send Luis Severino down, insert Ivan Nova into the starting rotation, move CC Sabathia to the bullpen Starting rotation of; Tank, Eovo, Pineda, Nova and James Kaprielian (when healthy) or anyone of a few others. Put Ackley or Refsy at 3rd or move Castro to 3rd and bring up anyone of a dozon 2nd basemen.
ReplyDeleteChanges are good for a team it makes the others look to themselves and play like their jobs depended on how well they played rather than how big is the contract they have.
Best move (maybe) is a trade for that 3rd baseman you mentioned the other day...a good fit if it could be done. Sorry not good with names.