Why would they change? The Yankees, after all, had the majors’ third-best record from 2017-20 with a title chance in each and it was a power-doused lineup that most led the way.
They averaged at least 5.25 runs in every one of those seasons, producing four of the best 15 averages in that time; no other team had even three of the best 32.
Yet …
There was always that sense they were too right-handed, too lacking in ways to create runs without hitting the ball out of the park, too susceptible to the best pitching — the kind you see in the postseason — too willing to trade defense for more power. They built an offense with essentially one way to score. If that suddenly were limited, then what?
The answer is they were going to resemble the playoff Knicks with Julius Randle unplugged by the Hawks. There are just not that many other ways they can score. One-third into the season, that is the 2021 Yankees.
The homer saved them from scoring three or fewer runs for the 31st time in 55 games, as Clint Frazier hit a two-out, two-run homer in the 11th inning Tuesday to lift the Yankees to a 5-3 triumph over the Rays. Yet, even in a win, some persistent offensive pathologies were present as the Yanks’ ran into their MLB-high 27th out on the bases and their lefties had one hit in 12 at-bats.
“I don’t have an answer why we have struggled so far,” Brian Cashman said. “It is my job with my guys to improve the current circumstances.”
I asked Cashman if he had grown too stubborn in the “big, hairy monster” philosophy by — among other things — duplicating much of Aaron Judge’s skill set with Giancarlo Stanton; sticking with Gary Sanchez and Frazier for years as if to prove a point; the same with making Gleyber Torres a shortstop. Cashman said that he knew what was available in the market and with the dollars allocated and that the decisions to, say, stick with Sanchez included, “If not Sanchez, then who?” And the answers were not great.
But I wonder about intractability in becoming so much of one thing, leaving few outlets if that way becomes easier to defend. There were, for example, probably moments where on paper a lefty hitter would have felt like a talent retreat — especially in power — but it would have given opponents a diversity that offers value.
Instead, the Yanks have locked into a group particularly impacted by the realities of 2021. The ball was somewhat deadened to diminish the impact of power. With computer programs, teams define and exploit holes in hitters’ swings more than ever and, generally, power hitters have more holes.
Pitchers have legal ways to increase velocity and spin rate by using, for example, weighted balls. Also many pitchers are using illegal, sticky substances to improve, notably, spin rate to create fiercer breaks and better carry in the zone.
The combination has made it like playoff pitching daily. And every club is carrying at least 13 pitchers, so — for example — plenty of overpowering righty relievers to find long lanes of success if an opponent is overridden with righty bats.
An executive from a recent Yankees opponent said, “They are not as daunting. You give me righty starters and relievers with plus stuff, and I feel comfortable against them.”
The Yanks were averaging 3.74 runs per game coming in. That would be the lowest since the 95-loss 1990 Yankees.
After being first or second in the AL in homers the past four years, the Yanks were eighth this season. Nearly everything else in their offensive holster impairs run scoring by not maximizing bases. They are last in the majors in doubles, triples and steals. They have made the most outs on the bases and hit into the most double plays. They, for example, have 13 plate appearances with the bases loaded and no outs. They were 1-for-12 with a sacrifice fly and seven double plays.
And lefty Yankees hitters began Tuesday last in the majors in average (.183), on-base percentage (.284) and slugging (.291). They have four homers at home by lefty hitters all year (Tampa Bay has three in the first two games of this series). All of this places a greater burden on the righty hitters to brutalize and, aside from Judge, there has not been enough of it.
The executive said, “They are acquiring damage players and when they don’t do damage, they are below average. And they are kind of all the same.”
So, for the Yanks, either right makes might — like Frazier provided in the 11th inning — or the Yanks cannot score enough to win the AL East.