The Yankees are far too reliant on analytics
T. Ingals @StickyClickSM
 |
| Yankees GM Brian Cashman, photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images. |
The Yankees made it to Game 7 of the 2017 ALCS as a 91-win Wild Card team. They were down 0-2 in the Division series and clawed their way back to win three straight and advance to the precipice of the World Series, a place they hadn't been in 8 years. They lost Games 6 and 7 in Houston, to a team that we now know was cheating, and as a result the Yankees fired long time manager, Joe Girardi.
Why did they fire Girardi? He was the manager of their last championship team. He had to manage his way around poor contracts, and retirement tour after retirement tour. 2017 was the first year in which Joe Girardi was given a new, young team, that wasn't hanging on the success of the late 90s and early 2000s. He wildly overperformed with them. That team, with that pitching, had no place being a game away from the World Series. But Joe Girardi wasn't the kind of manager the Yankees wanted leading their young group of "Baby Bombers" into the future. Cashman wanted someone who was a little less of a hard ass, and someone who was all in on the analytic philosophy of the Yankees front office. Since Cashman's decision to move off of Girardi, the Yankees haven't gotten that far in the playoffs since. And in each of the last three seasons, the Yankees have regressed in the postseason each year.
The Yankees hired Aaron Boone because he was all in on analytics. The Yankees analytic philosophy relies in batters who strikeout a lot and hit home runs. That's what made them trade for Joey Gallo, who is a career .206 hitter but averages 41 home run a year. He also led the Major Leagues in strikeouts and walks. Anyone who knows anything about baseball can tell you that a player like that is absolutely useless in the postseason. A .200 hitter in a short series against good pitching is almost always an automatic out. And Joey Gallo was an automatic out for much of his short tenure with the Yankees this season and in the AL Wild Card Game against the Boston Red Sox.
The Yankees run into the same problem each postseason and have every year since their last World Series title in 2009. They cruise through the regular season, slugging their way into either a division title or a Wild Card spot, and then once they're in a short series against good pitching, their bats go cold. Not to mention the fact that the team who eliminates them almost always seems to have an advantage at starting pitching, despite the Yankees $200+ million annual payroll.
In watching the last few MLB postseasons, the teams who get farther than the Yankees hit home runs, sure. But they also have a lot of guys who hit for average. Look at the last three World Series champions. The 2020 Dodgers, 2019 Nationals, and 2018 Red Sox, who actually eliminated the Yankees in 4 Games in the ALDS. The 2020 Dodgers had two starters who batted over .280 and two starters who batted over .300. Then take a look at the 2019 Nationals. They had Anthony Rendon who batted .319, Trea Turner who batted two percentage points under .300 and has since won a batting title, and Juan Soto who batted .282 in 2019 and has since won batting title. The 2018 Red Sox and four players who batted over .285 and two players who batted over .330. The Yankees have never had that. DJ LeMahieu is the only .300 hitter the Yankees have had since Robinson Cano in 2013.
Aside from DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gleyber Torres, who on the Yankees are considered "good hitters"? You can't go into the postseason every year with half your team hitting 30 or so home runs, but batting .250. This happens to the Yankees every season. The home run ball disappears for more than half the lineup in October, and they have to accept a quick exit from the postseason. And then Cashman just tries the whole thing over again. The Yankees didn't have a single player hit over .300 this season. Judge and Stanton were the only players who had good offensive seasons this year.
The Yankees need to change their philosophy. Less home runs, more base hits. Look at the Braves and Astros. Sure, they hit home runs, but they also manufacture runs, which is something the Yankees have been unable to do for years. With the Yankees it's home run or nothing, and home run or nothing usually gives you nothing in the postseason.
He didn't learns from Joe Torres the way that he manages the Yankees didn't has a lot of power hitter but he allow them to run when there was a chance to steal from top to bottom they knew they job and the pitching staff they also knew they roll
ReplyDeleteI feel you left out the batting order. The batting order was always set up to fail. Look at how many double plays Stanton hit into. Why because the yankees have forgot the fundamentals of baseball. Man gets on 1st the shift is on bunt the ball away from the shift. Easy base hit and now you have man on 1st and second. Throw out the analytics. Can analytics show when a man is hurt? Can analytics tell a manager that Cole can't find the plate when pitching. No. Seems no one talks about Tyler Wade. He plays all positions very good. He runs fast and he knows when to steal. Why isn't he a starter? As long as Cashman and Boone continue to use analytics the Yankees will always be a mediocre team going no where. If I was Boone I would play fundamental baseball. I would tell Cashman that this my team and I run it the way I see fit. If i need a player then i will call you.. Leave me alone and I will win the world series. I am with these players all the time. I know if they are playing hurt. If i see my player not hustling when he hits then he don't play.. simple motivation. One thing I will never understand is why are the Yankees keeping star players in AAA. Vasquez is a good example. Plays alot better than Torres and he is a switch hitter. Why don't you send Sanchez and Torres to AAA? Let them work on their mechanics there and bring up AAA players that are ready. It worked for Jeter, Rivera and Chad Green. No one wants to get sent to AAA. So this is a wakeup call for players that are not playing to their full potential. Stop babing these players. Give them an an option. AAA or be traded.
ReplyDeleteSo tired of hearing about Joe Girardi. He was no better than Boone and it was time for a change. Boone just wasn't the answer. Girardi single handedly lost as many games as Boone did with his decisions. His undying confidence in Gardner and Sanchez and Shrieve and Greene and other boneheads was just the same a Boone. And his boneheaded decision to NOT review the Lonnie Chisenhall foul tip strike three 3rd out v. Cleveland in the 2017 playoffs that let to Lindor hitting a Grand Slam in the next at bat. Girardi stinks and so does Boone.
ReplyDelete