Giancarlo Stanton isn’t the only New York Yankee struggling. These five players are responsible for the team’s slow start.
Coming into the season, many New York Yankees fans felt like their team was destined to win the AL East. It’s safe to say that a 10-9 record through 19 games wasn’t the start those fans envisioned.
Unfortunately for Yankees fans, there’s plenty of blame to go around. There are quite a few players who are performing well short of their potential. Aaron Boone’s issues aren’t limited to just one or two big-name stars. Instead, he’ll need to iron out quite a few things if he wants to catch the red-hot Boston Red Sox.
Even more frustrating for Boone is the fact that his club has issues all over the diamond. He has pitchers and hitters who he needs to get on track. Some might see that as encouraging, because there’s a lot of room for the team to grow, but it has to be frustrating for a first-time manager like Boone.
If you are a Yankees fan hoping to see the team make noise in postseason, you need to watch the production of these five stars. Boone’s ability to get the most out of this quintet will go a long way in determining how good the Yankees can be this season.
5. Neil Walker
In fairness to the veteran infielder, Neil Walker didn’t enter the campaign with sky-high expectations. Walker was just expected to be a steady presence in the bottom of the Yankees lineup. Unfortunately, he’s failed to live up to those modest expectations.
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The former Mets infielder is currently sporting a putrid batting average of .179. That contributes greatly to his offensive WAR of minus-0.6. If that mark holds, it will match the worst mark of Walker’s career.
It’s not as if his defense is anything to write home about, either. He’s an adequate first baseman but his range at second is solidly below average. To put it simply, he needs to hit at an above average clip to justify his place in the starting lineup.
At 32 years of age, it’s possible that Walker is simply too far past his prime to be a meaningful contributor this season. His spot in the roster could easily be something Brian Cashman looks to upgrade as the year progresses.
4. Gary Sanchez
Even after the acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton’s, there was a lot of noise around the Yankees clubhouse claiming Gary Sanchez was still the club’s purest hitter. That noise has been completely silenced by the catcher’s slow start.
Sanchez is only hitting a measly .182 from the plate to start the campaign. Even more worrisome is his lack of contact. He’s already struck out 14 times in just 66 at bats on the young season.
Unlike Walker, there’s little long-term concern in Sanchez’s start. It would be a significant surprise if his performance doesn’t experience a sharp uptick soon. He may not emerge as the Yankees’ best hitter of the season, but barring injury he’ll finish the year with solid production.
The real question is whether or not solid production is good enough for a player with Sanchez’s talent. Yankee fans have every right to expect more from him. Given his struggles behind the plate, he’s going to have to get hot with the bat to provide the team with All-Star production.
3. Masahiro Tanaka
Tanaka wasn’t expected to be the ace of the Yankees’ staff this season, but optimistic fans were hoping he could hold up as a solid No. 2 starter. Through four turns of the rotation he looks more like a fringe starter than an ace.
That’s quite concerning given the ever-present worries about Tanaka’s health. You almost have to expect he’ll miss a significant portion due to injury. That places a real premium on him being very productive when he’s healthy.
An ERA of 6.45 is not what anyone would call extreme productivity. Tanaka has looked utterly lost during several of his starts this year. It’s too soon to sound the alarm bells, but the early returns are not good for the Japanese hurler.
It may be time to recalibrate the expectations for Tanaka. If he can stay reasonably healthy this year and eat up some innings as an average starter the Yankees should chalk it up as a win. Anyone expecting him to dominate for long stretches is going to be extremely disappointed.
2. Giancarlo Stanton
In fairness to Stanton, almost any player alive would struggle under the weight of the expectations heaped upon him by the New York media this season. Even so, it has to be said that his start to the campaign has been well below even modest projections.
No one expects him to winning a batting average title but he’s got to hit higher than .195. At the very least he needs to get well above the Mendoza line to help the Yankees offense score runs.
It should be noted that despite his poor average, Stanton has produced for the club in other ways. His ability to draw walks and drive in runs has allowed him to reach a neutral WAR of 0. That isn’t what the Yankees ultimately need from Stanton, but his production has been marginally better than his batting average would indicate.
The real good news for Stanton is that he is too good of a hitter to remain trapped in this early season malaise. As the weather gets warmer, expect Stanton’s bat to get hotter and hotter.
1. Sonny Gray
The former Vanderbilt star has by far been the biggest disappointment for the Yankees coaching staff this season. If Tanaka’s struggles have set off a few warning bells, Gray’s starts have struck Boone and company deaf with their volume.
He’s been an absolute dumpster fire to start the campaign. Gray has only managed one quality start in his four opportunities and sports an ugly ERA of 8.27. Even more concerning is the fact that his confidence looks completely shot when he’s out on the mound.
It’s time to face the possibility that Gray just might not be the sort of person who can stand up to the pressure of pitching for the Yankees. Plenty of talented hurlers have failed in the Bronx due to the emotional pressure that weighs on every start. Gray might be the latest casualty of the pressure.
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In the end, expect Gray to get another couple of starts to try to turn things around. His leash is getting smaller and smaller with every failure though. Boone’s patience has to be wearing thin with the enigmatic pitcher.