Bold roster moves that could help the Yankees
The
Yankees’ season has been up-and-down so far, with some mild success and a lot
of painful failure. At their best, this Yankees team has almost looked like
they could possibly be a contender, but at their worst, they’ve looked like the
only thing they’ll be in contention for is a top-five draft pick. It doesn’t
take a whole lot of searching to determine the root of this problem--it’s
offense. The bullpen, obviously, has been lethal, and, although the starting
pitchers got off to a rocky start, they seem to have settled down and are
finding a really nice rhythm. The hitting, however, has been utterly dreadful.
The Bronx Bombers rank 14th out of 15 teams in the American League in runs
scored and batting average, and they’re dead last in hits, total bases, On-Base
Percentage, and Slugging. They don’t have a single player with a batting average
above .300, and, after Carlos Beltran, the second-highest OPS on the team is
.770, belonging to Jacoby Ellsbury. There are seven teams that have a higher
OPS than that. Seven. Teams. Frankly, that is inexcusable. There are a few ways
that the Yankees can deal with this.
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| Picture Credit: Julie Jacobson | AP |
On the contrary,
they could make some lineup changes to rejuvenate the lineup. My colleague
Mavin Saunders delved into this possibility in a recent article, suggesting
that Starlin Castro move up to the 3-spot, with Carlos Beltran batting cleanup
and Didi Gregorius sliding up to sixth. This option allows the coaching staff
to assert confidence in the current starters, while mixing things up in a way
that could make a big difference.
The
possibility that I’d like to look at today is actual personnel changes. I lack
confidence in some of the players in the Yanks’ lineup (Yes, A-Rod, McCann, and
Tex, I’m still looking at you) and I think that, barring a drastic change in
production, the Bombers might be better served simply removing certain players
from the lineup. I openly acknowledge that this article is probably
unrealistic, but hey, it’s fun to hypothesize about what could be, right? That
being said, let’s get right into my bold roster moves that could help the
Yankees.
1. Start Rob Refsnyder over Mark Teixeira at First Base
Yes,
even once Teixeira comes back from the DL (although I do think he should be
given a chance to prove himself prior to any consideration of benching him). I
think we’re all painfully aware of Teixeira’s offensive woes--he is hitting
well below the Mendoza line, and without any of the power that we’ve seen from
him in previous years. Furthermore, Refsnyder has shown that his defense, which
has been generally acknowledged as the main thing keeping him from a bigger
role, is undeniably improved. His stint at first base hasn’t lasted very long
thus far, but he has yet to make an error. When it comes down to it, I’d take
solid defense and a solid bat (Refsnyder) over great defense and no hitting
(Teixeira). Of course, if Teixeira comes back from the DL and shows us that he
still has something left in the tank offensively, this could change.
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| Picture Credit: Presswire |
But
if Teixeira is unable to hit better than the .180/.271/.263 stinker of a slash line
that he has so far, this is a no-brainer. Teixeira could still get reps at DH
or when Refsnyder is given a day off, but a .180 hitter doesn’t belong in the
starting lineup, no matter what he has done for the team in the past.
2.
Start Carlos Beltran over Alex Rodriguez at DH, with Aaron Hicks in Right Field
I’m
by no means the first person to suggest that this is a good idea. There are a
few reasons behind this. First, A-Rod isn’t doing much for the team. Second,
Carlos Beltran moves about as fast (or as slow) as a sloth in right field.
Rodriguez, unlike Mark Teixeira, has shown a bit of pop at the plate (on pace
for a 20-HR season), but he’s hitting .204.
What’s
that, you say? Hicks is only hitting .207? OK, you’re right. But Hicks is
young, and I suspect he is still getting acclimated to a new team (and playing
Major League Baseball, for that matter) for the first month or two of the
season. Whether he will be able to turn it around at the plate is anyone’s
guess, but I think that either way, it’s worth taking a flier on the 26-year
old. After all, he covers ground quickly in the outfield, and he has a cannon
for an arm. If he can hit as well as A-Rod has (which isn’t really saying
much), this move makes a lot of sense.
Conversely,
Beltran, although the undisputed MVP of the lineup so far, has a negative defensive
WAR on the season. He is the perfect guy to hit out of the DH spot because at
this point in his career, he’s really only good at hitting. A-Rod, on the other
hand, isn’t doing much of anything right now. This move would put Rodriguez’s
$20 million contract on the bench, which seems like a waste of money, but there
comes a point at which we must simply admit that the money is wasted and let
A-Rod sit. This roster move fixes two major problems, and it just makes sense.
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| Picture Credit: Anthony J. Causi |
3.
Start Austin Romine over Brian McCann at Catcher…
...more
frequently, at least. Romine already gets a start behind the plate about one
time through the rotation, but it might be nice to see what could happen if
that number was doubled. Romine has been one of the biggest surprises of the
season, as he almost didn’t make the major league roster. However, I think that
his performance thus far warrants more playing time.
As
of today, Romine is hitting .290 in 69 at-bats, whereas McCann is only hitting
.222. McCann has a distinct advantage in the power department, with eight
dingers and 22 RBI on the season, as opposed to Romine’s eight homers and 11
RBIs. However, one must also consider that McCann has over twice as many at
bats as Romine this season; as such, it’s probably fair to assume that Romine
would have at least 22 RBI for the season if he got the playing time that the
32-year-old does. Pro-rated to a 500-at bat season, Romine’s numbers of two
home runs, 11 RBI, and 20 hits in 67 AB translate to 15 HR, 82 RBI, and 149
hits, albeit he maintains that pace. Those aren’t slugger numbers, but that
kind of production from a bottom-of-the-lineup guy could be invaluable for the
Yanks.
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| Picture Credit: Elsa | Getty Images |
McCann
still has some pop in his swing, as evident in his 431-foot blast against the
Angels on June 6th and the Yankee pitchers seem to like him as a battery mate,
but he simply doesn’t get on base enough to warrant the majority of the playing
time at catcher.
None
of these predictions are easy or fun for me. Mark Teixeira has been my favorite
Yankee for a while now, but Rob Refsnyder is simply a better option at first.
I’ve forgiven Alex Rodriguez for his PED scandal, and he has one of the
sweetest swings I’ve ever seen, but he just doesn’t hit the ball like he used
to. Brian McCann is on pace for 20+ homers, but Austin Romine plays in a way
that McCann simply can’t. Again, all of these suggestions are contingent on all
continuing players continuing to play the way they have thus far; if any of the
players I suggested to bench heat up, or any of the replacements cool down, you
can take this column with a grain of salt. Or you can do that anyway, if you
want. But keep in mind that something has to be done to remedy the Yankees’
offensive woes. If that doesn’t happen soon, there’s little to no chance of
playoff baseball in the Bronx this year.
Article
by: Peter Marshall
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(All
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