New York Yankees: Top of Lineup Key to Success in 2017
The New York Yankees would love to be rid of Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner, but if they remain in the Bronx, they may be key to the Yankees’ hopes.
It’s no secret that if the New York Yankees could find suitors for Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury without having to absorb nearly all of their (bloated) salaries, the deals would be done in a New York minute. But assuming they’re both still wearing a Yankees uniform on April 1, their top of the lineup presence is critical to the team’s ability to score runs, and making a serious run at the Red Sox and Blue Jays (with Encarncion) in the AL East. At the moment though, neither one is inspiring much confidence that they can get the job done……..
Yankees Produce Home Runs But……
The New York Yankees did not pick up the Bronx Bombers label without good reason. And over the years and even through today, the Yankees live and die with the home run. And more importantly, the three run blast that puts a crooked number on the scoreboard with one dramatic and fan pleasing swing of the bat.
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In 2015 for example, slightly more than 15% of the Yankees hits were home runs. Which doesn’t sound like a big deal until you realize that it put them 4th highest on the list of teams relying on power to eventually produce runs. For the curious, the World Series winning Royals finished 27 out of 30 teams with less than 10% of their hits being a home run.
The relevant point though is that if you are going to emphasize the home run, you’d better have men on base when you hit one. Because the days of stringing four or five hits together to score three runs against the likes of the power pitchers we see today are long gone.
Ellsbury And Gardner Hold The Keys To The Kingdom
Which brings us back to Mr. Gardner and Mr. Ellsbury. In August, Brett Gardner will be 34 years old. Not usually a big deal, except we’re talking about a player who has made a living with his legs. His numbers last season (.261 BA, .351 OBP, 143 hits, and only 16 stolen bases) were very “Gardner like”. Not terribly bad, but not what the Yankees need from him either. Compare those numbers to the best lead off hitters and it highlights the problem the Yankees have with Gardner.
Same with Jacoby Ellsbury, who managed a on base percentage of only .330 – and that was his highest in the three years he’s been with the Yankees.
And it’s not that the Yankees don’t have options for the top of their lineup. Both Didi Gregarious and Starlin Castro hit there occasionally and produced quality at bats. It’s that both Gardner and Ellsbury are being paid handsomely to do a job they haven’t been doing.
And you can say it’s the Yankees fault for giving them those contracts in the first place, especially in the case of Ellsbury , who is still due $85 million before his contract expires at the age of 37. But that doesn’t hide the fact that these are the veteran guys who are supposed to be showing the kids (and there’s more of them coming) how to play the game and win championships.
There will come a time when the Yankees just throw their hands in the air, take out the trash, and dump both Gardner and Ellsbury regardless of the salary hits. And they’ll keep bringing their names up in any trade talks they have hoping that P.T. Barnum was right and there is a sucker born every day and some team will take a bite hoping to catch lightning in a bottle for their own pennant drive.
But in the end, you have to say that there’s no reason why these two guys can’t get the job done by getting on base more as table setters for the power coming up behind them. Gary Sanchez can hit 40 home runs, Greg Bird 25, and Aaron Judge 30 more, and it won’t matter much if they’re not driving anyone but themselves in.
Like the majority of teams today, the Yankees live and breathe the home run. And they find a way to cope with a strikeout by giving a tip of the cap to the pitcher. But singles and walks from your leadoff guys, with the threat of a stolen base to get in scoring position, is not something the Yankees or any other team can live without.
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Because this is not something like where you say, “Gee, it sure would be nice if Didi Gregarious could reproduce the season he had last year”. This is a case where both Gardner and Ellsbury must step up and do the job they’re paid to do if the Yankees have a chance to be serious contenders in 2017.