The Yankees struggles continue and Aaron Boone seems to be adding to it more and more, but is Boone on the hot seat?
Aaron Boone, what is going on in that brain of yours?
The Bombers have now dropped seven straight and right in the middle was Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves where they had their two best pitchers on the bump, Gerrit Cole and Masahiro Tanaka. In response, Boone crafted two laughable lineups. The red-hot Clint Frazier? Benched for game one. The (at the time) newly returned Aaron Judge? Benched for game one. Miguel Andújar? Benched in game one.
Sure, players need some rest, especially after such a bizarre offseason/spring training. But to continuously run out lineups that are not at full strength in such a short season is frankly, disturbing.
Aaron Boone is giving off the impression that these games don’t matter when in reality, they matter more than ever. Given the shortened season, not only is each game in 2020 worth 2.7 games, but this team is also facing one of their longest championship droughts in recent history and once again has the roster to raise number 28. Boone should be taking advantage of his depth of talent especially in the wake of this year’s version of the Yankees injury plague.
Joe Girardi had his issues, specifically managing the pitching staff. But for the most part, his managerial struggles ended there. Those players would run through a wall for Joe, and we saw that in 2017 when they rallied back down 0-2 to the Indians in the ALDS.
Boone’s bullpen decisions are costing us games. He either leaves pitchers in too long or pulls them prematurely turning wins into losses. The three that instantly come to mind are Tanaka’s early exit against Atlanta and Cole and Paxton’s hooks at Tampa that all led to losses.
As fans we also need to understand that with the lineup at his disposal, there is only so much that Boone can do. That does mean that he should be taking advantage of his available key pieces more than ever. And that doesn’t mean taking out Tanaka with 66 pitches. Take advantage of your top of the rotation guys. I want to see Frazier and Andújar everyday and no more benching Sanchez this year. It’s time for him to either prove himself worthy or for the team to move on.
Halfway through, the 2020 Bombers lack that competitive spirit. Players just don’t seem motivated. At this point, you can’t say the lack of motivation is due to the shortened season because nearly the entire starting lineup is auditioning for a role in 2021. A lot of things about this Yankee team need to change and it all starts with the manager.
This team certainly has the pieces to say afloat. it’s just a matter of weather those pieces are utilized correctly.
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