Bronx Bomber Ball

The Yankees offense looks f***ing dead. Every single one of them. Even DJ LeMahieu, the Yankees’ best hitter by leaps and bounds, is in the middle of an uncanny stretch of bad hitting. Of the Yankees every day starters (Higgy is 4-for-13 for a .308 avg  and also Tyler Wade is 1-for-3 apparently lol ), the three highest batting averages are: DJ (.277), Gio Urshela (.276), and Aaron Judge (.268). The next highest… Gary Sanchez with a .200 average, unless you want to count Brett Gardner as every day, in which case the next highest is a .214 average (which props up the team average of .205). And that isn’t even a knock on Gardy, who still puts up Gardy at-bats whenever he’s in the lineup (plus, of his six hits, two of them are doubles) or Gary, who I think has actually put up some really nice at-bats; and, of the team’s 17 grounders into a double play (tied for 3 rd worst in the league), he has grounded into zero (also Gary has walked 7 times and has a .321 OBP, which is third among ev...

Look, I get it.   Injuries happen.   There’s no way around that.   But the total shitstorm we are currently experiencing AGAIN has the feel of something much, much worse than just some early Spring Training getting-the-kinks-worked-out nonsense.  The Yankees are once again falling apart in front of us and it's not even March.  I am absolutely worried right now. Photo Credit: Douglas DeFelice/USA TODAY Sports

The Yankees’ once fearsome, daunting lineup has slowly been deteriorating due to the injury bug. Judge has been out since late-July with a fractured wrist, which is still bothering him, and Stanton has been regulated to only DH’ing due to an ailing hamstring. Judge is still some ways away as he has not been able to swing yet, and Stanton is being used cautiously to avoid any extended missed time. As a result of the Yankees’ plethora of outfielders dealt and these injuries, Aaron Boone has penciled in journeyman Shane Robinson into the Bronx Bombers’ lineup essentially every day. Robinson has started five straight games and ten out of the Yankees’ last fifteen. He’s serviceable on defense and quick, but the bat is almost non-existent. He has a .493 OPS, and the Yankees simply need someone more productive with their division hopes dwindling and the Athletics breathing down their necks for the first Wild Card spot.   Photo Credit: Getty

It is no secret that the Yankees have been terrible during their five-game losing streak. I consider myself a well above-average optimist on the spectrum of Yankee fandom, and I have not felt so pessimistic about this team in such a long time. Other than a glimpse of hope against Craig Kimbrel on Saturday, Chance Adams not being shelled in his long-anticipated MLB debut, and the Yankees holding a lead against the Sox for barely two innings before collapsing on Sunday, there was absolutely nothing positive about the weekend series in Fenway. This four-game sweep and the disaster of a finale in Baltimore where the Yankees were shut down by a 14-game loser in Alex Cobb have been as atrocious as it can get for the Yanks. The bright side, I use this term loosely, to all of this is that it is very easy to pinpoint why exactly the Yankees are on rock-bottom. Here’s what I think is behind this stretch of losing. Photo Credit: USA Today

Oh, Lord, where do we begin? As a fan of this team since 1996 when I was just five years old, I've seen mostly good times, but also my fair share of bad. What I've seen from  these  New York Yankees over the last 48 hours has been, as far as I'm concerned, as bad as it's ever been.  Another lackluster performance from the disaster that is Sonny Gray is one thing, but the entire team absolutely no-showed in an ugly 7-5 loss to Baltimore yesterday.  The team looked lazy and apathetic against the worst team in the league, ahead of a crucial four-game set at Fenway Park against the first place Boston Red Sox.  Surely yesterday was a wakeup call, no?   Photo Credit: AP

On a day where the New York sports world had already endured a tragedy due to the destruction of the NYDN sports section, Gary Sanchez single handedly cost the New York Yankee the series opener versus the Rays. It wasn’t because he struck out or made an error, that’s something that could happen to anyone, because baseball is a sport centered around failures. He cost the Yankees a baseball game against a divisional opponent in the middle of a pennant race, because he mentally, free-willingly gave up on his team.   Photo Credit: AP Photo

Ever since the retirement of Mark Teixeira, first base has been a black hole for the Yankees. Greg Bird’s emergence in 2015 made the Yankee universe optimistic for the future at the position, but now going into his third injury-ridden season, the Yankees cannot rely on him to be their first baseman for years to come. Sure, the Yankees could sign another Chris Carter-like stop-gap like Mark Reynolds to man the fort until Bird returns (hopefully), but at a certain point, the Yankees have to move on. There is no denying the talent that Greg Bird possesses and how much of lineup presence he provides when healthy, but if he cannot stay on the field, his talent matters nothing.   Photo Credit: NY Post

As a Yankee fan, the Scranton-Shuttle is a familiar term for what seems like a never-ending cycle of relief pitchers and, to a smaller extent, position players constantly coming up to the Major League Club, spending minimal time with the Yankees, and then packing their bags to go back to the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate in Scranton. Photo Credit: NJ.com

During the few years I've had the pleasure to write for and help grow the BBB, I've been a consistent critic of manager Joe Girardi. I believe that his in-game mismanagement has cost this team numerous games over the past few seasons. Up until last week, the Yankees were on top of the world. Now, the Bombers find themselves in the midst of adversity. Much of the blame for the imploding bullpen and overall decline in production falls on the shoulders of the Yankees' manager. For example, despite clear and quantifiable data that would recommend a move to the contrary, Mr. Girardi refuses to abandon bullpen roles and continues to call on Tyler Clippard in close games. The results have been the same: narrow Yankees defeats. If the Yankees end up missing the playoffs this season, the time will have FINALLY come for Girardi to pack his bags and leave New York. Photo Credit: John Hefti/USA TODAY Sports

Let me preface this by stating there is nothing I would like more than to be proved wrong by seeing the Yankees go on a championship run this season. Having this article become the laughing stock of the internet would not bother me if that were to be the case, however the probability of the aforementioned event occurring is slim to none. I hate to be blunt, but someone has to say it: THE 2016 YANKEES ARE NOT GOOD. Thus far, they have been an unmitigated disaster. Never in my life have I seen a Yankee team so apathetic and lifeless. Even the 2013 and 2014 clubs, who were for the most part bereft of talent, at least displayed a certain level of fight. The 2016 team, on the other hand, doesn't seem to care. Perhaps even more troublesome than the attitude and performance of the players is the reaction displayed by management. First and foremost, I'm sick and tired of Joe Girardi's "it's not what you want" routine after every loss. It's painfully clear that he ...

As had been expected going into the 2016 season, the starting rotation hasn't necessarily been a strong point. Luis Severino has been flat out awful, however the inconsistencies of Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Pineda have been equally as troubling. While Eovaldi has shown signs of outright brilliance this season, Pineda has been flat out horrendous in most of his starts. I'm growing increasingly tired of hearing praise reaped upon Pineda's "stuff." At the end of the day, a pitcher's "stuff," is irrelevant. As Yankees fans, we need look no further than AJ Burnett's tumultuous tenure in the Bronx. I will admit Burnett was a huge part of the 2009 championship so the comparison may be flawed, however parallels can certainly be drawn between the two. Having been acquired from the Mariners in 2012, in exchange for then-highly touted prospect Jesus Montero, Pineda had high expectations to meet. Currently, Pineda is 27 years old and STILL hasn't figure...

The Yankees entered this season with a promising, but aging lineup. The acquisition of Starlin Castro entering his prime brought excitement to the Bronx, and fans were also optimistic with the productive second half of Didi Gregorius. Likewise, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez were both coming off of 30+ home run seasons. Brian McCann had solid power production (though his batting average was lower than I would’ve liked) and Carlos Beltran was coming off a much improved season. Fans were left hoping that Jacoby Ellsbury would get back to his “normal” self, and that Brett Gardner could finally maintain a full, productive season where he wouldn’t just fall off in the second half. Lastly, we were hoping Chase Headley would improve defensively and maintain his status as a serviceable third baseman. But none of that has happened a month into 2016, and it has to come at the expense of someone’s job, and that someone is Alan Cockrell. Photo Via Carlos Osorio

Another day, another Yankees loss. Unfortunately, I've grown accustomed to uttering the aforementioned phrase due to their disgraceful 2016 performance. Throughout my twenty years on this Earth I have never seen a Yankees team this bad. I think I speak for every Yankee fan when I emphatically state that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I'm tired of hearing some fans make excuses for this team. "It's only May." "They'll turn it around soon." "These guys will play to the numbers on the back of their baseball cards." Why do so many fans share this sense of false hope? This Yankees team has shown no reason to make us believe they can right the ship any time soon, if at all. Never before have the Yankees been eight games under .500 during the Joe Girardi era (post-2009). I hate to break to some of you, but this team is not the 2005 Yankees, who got off to a similarly awful start. They do not have the talent and spunk to dig themselves out of what appears to be...

As the days get colder and the nights get shorter, many would expect the hot stove to heat up in the Bronx. That would be a wholly mistaken assumption. The days of George Steinbrenner’s spending sprees are a distant memory, therefore those fans expecting the Yankees to make their signature free agent splashes are holding out false hope. The Aaron Hicks trade will the most significant move of the offseason. You heard it right here first folks. Since many of our writers are contemplating possible moves the Yankees can make to improve for the 2016 season, I won’t engage in such conjecture. I have finally come to accept that the Yankees will be mediocre for the immediate feature. With an apathetic owner and an incompetent general manager running the show, I have no reason for optimism. For purposes of this article, I will focus much of my attention on the former, because I believe the problem in the Bronx is one of systematic proportions. My prediction is as follows, the Yankees will make...

Anybody who has read anything I’ve written for this blog will know by now that I am no fan of Joe Girardi. I can’t comprehend how any person who watches the Yankees on a daily basis can think Girardi is a good manager. In fact, I think he is one of the worst in the league. This recent series against the Blue Jays, which essentially determined whether or not the Yankees would have any chance at winning the AL East, featured Girardi’s shortcomings as a manager on full display yet again. It infuriates me that Girardi decided to manage the most important games since the 2012 ALCS as if it were April. In July, the Yankees led the division by eight games over the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays have been virtually unstoppable since their trade deadline acquisitions, and although Cashman’s complacent approach is also to blame, Girardi has made many decisions that have cost the Yankees games. Throughout the early part of the season I kept a list of decisions made by Girardi that led to Yankee losses,...

I haven’t written a rant in about a month, but after today’s disgraceful showing against the Toronto Blue Jays in the middle of pennant race I felt I was obliged to share my frustrations. This Yankees team has rolled over, and essentially surrendered any hopes of winning this division. I’ve had this four game series with Toronto circled on my calendar for two months because I knew this would be the most important series for the Yankees since the 2012 ALCS. Guess what? The Yankees failed miserably. After getting slaughtered by Toronto on Friday night, they went into Saturday’s double-header with hopes of winning at least one game, but this sorry bunch doesn’t even seem capable of as much. For those of you who haven’t read it yet, I predicted this collapse a while back after our general manager failed to improve our deeply flawed roster at the trade deadline CLICK HERE . I have tickets for Sunday’s game, and I must admit I am very apathetic towards going. In fact, if Alex Rodriguez were...

Let me begin this article by saying that, yes, I will remain a loyal fan of the New York Yankees. However, today’s disaster (August 26) against the Houston Astros was the final straw for me. There are two players on this team that deserve recognition: Nathan Eovaldi and Carlos Beltran. Every other person in the lineup, starter, or in the bullpen deserves nothing but the worst of criticism. The Yankees began the latest 10-game homestand with a 1.5-game lead on the Toronto Blue Jays. As of the afternoon of August 26th, this lead has now turned into a 1.5-game deficit with a road trip ahead. To all the Joe Girardi apologists out there who said that the offense would lead this team to the playoffs and beyond, well, there is nothing else to be said now. To all those who defended the team while the offense stalled but the pitching was great (the week of August 5-12), the pitching was absolutely terrible in the last few games. And if you would rather just hear a general rant, scroll to the v...

A ny  functioning workplace cannot be successful without a certain level of accountability. Employees must know that if they do not perform up to their capability, there will be consequences. Unfortunately for the last couple of years, the Yankees have had no accountability. Brian Cashman has been ordained GM for life despite only winning one championship in fifteen years. Joe Girardi has been given a pass for missing the playoffs for two consecutive seasons for the first time in twenty years. It’s mind boggling to me that I STILL see people on my newsfeed apologizing for Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi (I will hereafter refer to these individuals as apologists). A couple of days ago I wrote an article in which I attempted to convey the anger of the average Yankees fan. CLICK HERE . We have now witnessed the Yankees blow a seven game lead in roughly two weeks. While the Blue Jays seem unbeatable, the Yankees have been playing mediocre, and that’s me saying it nicely. If the Bombers ...

A fter being swept by the Blue Jays this weekend, the Yankees are now 2-7 against their AL East rival this season.   The funny thing is the 2-7 record is not the worst part. Yankees EVERDAY second baseman Stephen Drew is 3-for-24 against the Blue Jays this season. Let me repeat that DREW IS 3-for-24.

The Yankees are in real trouble. They're reaching a point in the season in which they have to swim or will sink for good. The Yankees losing streak has now been pushed to four after suffering a 16 inning loss to one of the worst teams in the league in the Cleveland Indians. The Indians aren't really to blame though. I was at the game and I saw a Yankees team with absolutely no drive or passion do everything they could to try and lose that ballgame. When you see a team lose on TV it's one thing, but seeing the Yankees in person last night said so much more. Arod and Carlos Beltran refused to show any hustle and run out ground balls they could've at least made close. Andrew Miller looked completely lost trying to save the ballgame before eventually blowing it. Mark Teixeira and Jacoby Ellsbury were 0-6 and 0-7 respectively.