The New York Yankees got off to a strong start emerging as the early favorite to claim the 2024 championship. Fast-forward to today. If the postseason were just beginning, the Yankees chances of making it past the first round would be lower than every other contender. As it stands, the Yankees are losing to under-.500 teams even being swept by the Reds.
In the past 25 games (since June 13), the Yankees have lost 18 and haven’t won a series since facing the Royals (June 10-13, the last game of that series was a loss). The one series the Yankees did not lose in that time was a split series against the Blue Jays.
Yankee’s GM Brian Cashman recently gave fans hope of a turnaround. In his remarks Cashman stated:
“It’s been a struggle, obviously. Thankfully, we got out of the gates really strong. Hopefully that cushion will allow us to work through this, hopefully sooner than later, because it’s gone on long enough. It’s been a tough stretch for us.”
Like Cashman, fans are also hoping this slide will end sooner rather than later, but that appears to be up to him. Fans also hope this doesn’t turn out to be another one of Cashman’s “fully operational Death Stars” as the first one failed to produce a trophy. But if a substantial move from Cashman doesn’t end the Yankees’ struggles, it doesn’t appear anything will. In the meantime, Cashman certainly has a lot on his plate. Let’s take a look at the weaknesses that have hampered the Yankees the most.
1. Runners left on base
The Yankees typically put a lot of men on base. Their .328 team OBP places them fourth in the majors. Considering they started hot before injuries significantly slowed their now meager offense, this number doesn’t reflect their offense as it is today. Even so, the problem has never been getting runners aboard. The problem of scoring those runners seems to be the scourge that has continually sunk the Yankees in otherwise winnable games.
It seems like the Yankees are masters of loading the bases with no outs and not scoring any runs in Houdini-like fashion. Likewise, the average number of runners left on base per game (LOB per game) stands at 6.65 placing them 14th in runners LOB per game this year, slightly better than half the MLB teams. Again, this number takes into account the Yankees’ hot start. But even with Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo, the Yankees still left way too many runners on base.
This leads us to the thorn in the team’s side: double play balls. The Yankees have grounded into 86 double plays this season, which is worst in the majors. Their tendency to turn potential runs into outs has been uncanny.
There is also Aaron Boone’s aggressive baserunning approach. Stolen bases are nice, but when you’re sending runners that can’t run well, it usually doesn't end well.
As it turns out, only Aaron Judge, Jon Berti, and Anthony Volpe should be given the green light. Volpe is 15-4 in base stealing attempts while Judge is 5-0, though it's always worrisome when your best and oft-injured star is attempting to swipe a bag. Jon Berti (4-1), who was once the Marlins’ key base stealer, has been injured for a while. When we exclude these three, the rest of the team is 14-11.
To give Boone a smidgeon of credit, his approach has worked more times than not. But in the end, the risk of sending runners has cost the Yankees games. Even when you include Volpe, Judge and Berti, the Yankees success rate is 70.4 percent placing them 27th in the majors. Going forward, Boone should only send favorable runners to take bases.
2. The bullpen
It’s always a pain when a starter comes out of the game with a lead only to have the bullpen blow the game. But that’s been the story for the Yankees. The Yankees’ bullpen owns a 4.24 ERA, which ranks 19th in the MLB in bullpen ERAs. New York has gone through several options, still they have very few reliable pitchers. Like the lineup, the bullpen also has been bit by the injury bug.
To make the situation worse, events seem to be repeating themselves. Clay Holmes, who started extremely well in each of the past two years plus this season, is now struggling towards the second half, consistent with his splits from the previous two years. Holmes now has five blown saves which ties him for second worst in the MLB.
But Holmes is nowhere near the worst reliever to take the mound for the Yankees this season. What is just as bad has been the decision-making behind playing these relievers at key moments. Boone has used poor performing relievers in high-leverage situations throughout the season. And while Boone might want to reinforce his pitchers (and all his players for that matter) with confidence, this has rarely been rewarded.
3. Defense
Another glaring problem with the Yankees has been their abysmal defense. The Yankees commit an average of 0.59 errors per game making them 23rd in the MLB in defense. When searching for the main culprits, look no further than the infield. Gleyber Torres has committed 11 errors, Anthony Volpe has committed eight Austin Wells and Oswaldo Cabrera have each committed six, and Jose Trevino has committed five.
Continuing with the Yankees two backstops, Austin Wells and Jose Trevino, we see that the Yankees haven’t had much success throwing out runners. Wells ranks one point below average while Trevino ranks three points below average.
While errors usually aren’t too concerning, the rate at which the Yankee infield commits them should be a source of concern. In the postseason, a single error can cost a team an important game.
Dishonorable mentions
We could go over several more Yankee weaknesses: like the fact that Judge, Soto, and Ben Rice (who only has 67 ABs) are the only current players on the Yankees’ roster that have batting averages above .250, or the fact that the once great starting rotation has fallen into a state of disrepair. However, those aren’t as glaring.
Both Stanton and Rizzo (though neither have averages above .250) will be coming back to add more power to the ailing Yankee lineup. Struggling starter Luis Gil seems to be finding his groove once again. And while Carlos Rodon continues to struggle, the Yankees will have plenty of options when Clarke Schmidt, JT Brubaker, and Cody Poteet return.
While they remain in wait and see mode, the Boston Red Sox are on pace to catch the sleepy Yankees. Brian Cashman needs to address some of these concerns soon to shore up weaknesses and stop the bleeding.
Make no mistake, not all these glaring weaknesses will be replaced with strength. What the Yankees seem to need most right now are contact hitters that can score runs and reliable bullpen arms that won’t blow games. If they can build a decent bullpen while improving just two spots in the lineup, this would go a long way to making the Yankees World Series favorites again.