Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Easy Ways to Fix the Yankees Struggling Offense


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?

1 comment:

  1. 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.
    Changes 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.

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)