Yankees Facade Crumbling for All to See
The repetitive sounds you heard coming out of Canada were the collective jumping off by the fanbase off the Yankee train. It's in the air, and you can smell it. The process is choking the life out of a formerly elite franchise. The Yankees have finally driven veteran fans to give up on their first love.
Those fanatics who have witnessed seven World Series Championships know what winning looks like. They are no longer buying this flawed product. It may well be only the halfway mark, but it is safe to say that the Yankees will never right the ship with Cashman and the analytics playing the tunes. There are a plethora of reasons why the Yankees are not in first place anymore. The Blue Jays have the tiebreaker, so New York is not tied for the lead in the AL East, and they may fall to third in the blink of an eye. The points are not new. The trade deadline has nothing to offer that can fix a multitude of problems hidden by clever rhetoric. The traits of leadership, accountability, fundamentals, and lineup construction are not to be found on a team run by cold, hard numbers.
The topic of leaders starts with Aaron Judge. He is the best hitter in baseball. He is respected by his teammates, but he does not police the clubhouse, so his teammates do not fear making repetitive mistakes. Aaron Boone has long lost the clubhouse. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is just the latest case. He made a statement that both praised and criticized his move back to third. “Everybody knows I’m a second baseman,” Jazz pointed out, “He really wanted me at third base. I’m a team guy.” The Yankees manager had nothing to say.
The simple act of admitting that you are not playing to your potential is a new concept here. Giancarlo Stanton is the only Yankee to point out his shortcomings. He is also the only clutch player the team possesses during the playoff season. He is looked at as an unofficial captain with statements like the one about showing off the AL Championship rings. “I’d better not see any of you guys wearing these around,” Stanton proclaimed. The Yankees organization had nothing to add.
The scouting report was not wrong. The Yankees still beat themselves. The opposition waits for them to self-destruct, and the Yankees rarely fail to live down to this reputation. The countless fielding failures, baserunning errors, and a non-situational mindset have contributed to the numerous losses in close games. There is a disconnect between the minor league and major league Yankees. The reasons for minor league improvement are change. The Yankees have changed coaching personnel and restructured their minor league affiliations, giving their players consistent training and facilities a more consistent program of development. Yankee major league analytics have only suffocated talents like Ben Rice, who can’t get playing time, and Jasson Dominguez, whose elite speed should have been utilized at the top of the lineup by now.
Finally, lineup construction is lost on this organization. They still don't have a leadoff hitter. Aaron Judge is seeing fewer and fewer opportunities to drive in runs by batting second often. The Yankees rest hot hitters and reward the type of mediocrity Anthony Volpe displays on a regular basis. The continued blind faith in DJ LeMahieu and Trent Grisham deprives the Yankees of creative solutions. The lineup is not consistent from one to nine, with constant change from game to game.
The facade is cracking all over. No matter what you see in a given game here and there, the Yankees play the same broken record. They are old-fashioned and out of touch with modern baseball thought. The Yankees do not have the clutch gene that the ‘90s dynasty possessed up and down the lineup. They don't have a clue how to assemble a proper lineup. They cannot grind out runs, and their home runs, like the fireworks you will see on July 4th, are pretty and impressive to start, but cannot be maintained for long.
