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Yankees: First Impressions after Seasons Opening Series

By Manny Gómez

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 31: Greg Bird #33 of the New York Yankees reacts after striking out to end the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on March 31, 2019 in the Bronx Borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 31: Greg Bird #33 of the New York Yankees reacts after striking out to end the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on March 31, 2019 in the Bronx Borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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Luke Voit, Yankees
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Over-Reliance on Homers

Last season, the Yankees formula for winning was: get on-base and hit home runs. Clearly, the formula worked as the Yanks rattled off 100-wins over the course of a 162-game season. However, many felt that the team’s over-reliance on homers turned out to be their downfall.

In their opening series against the Orioles it looks like the team hasn’t changed much, and perhaps losing 2/3 games to the O’s was due in part to the Yanks waiting around for the big hit.

Look closer at each game, and you’ll notice a bit of a trend. On Opening Day, the Yankees featured two home runs, a 3-run shot by Luke Voit and a solo-blast by Greg Bird. The result: Yanks win by a score of 7-2.

The next two games featured only two solo-shots, one by Gary Sanchez and the other by Troy Tulowitzki. What’s more, the team’s big boppers (Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, and Luke Voit), combined for 16 strikeouts. As a result, the “Bronx Bombers” earned two L’s to the lowly O’s.

I know that three games is hardly a sample size, however, the team’s offense has gone virtually unchanged (save for D.J. LeMahieu and Troy Tulowitzki) since last season. Why then should we expect this trend to change?

Don’t get me wrong, homers win games. Versatility, however, wins more, and the Yankees have got to figure out how to become more versatile offensively.

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