Yankees Temperature Check

Hey, sometimes real-life business gets in the way, so I haven’t been around as much as I normally like to be. So, here’s a quick temperature check on the Yankees since my last Yankees related rant:

In no particular order…

The trade deadline saw the acquisitions of Jazz Chisolm Jr., and Mark Leiter Jr. As I said at the time on social media, Jazz is a slightly better than average hitter over the course of his career who can play five positions competently (a highly undervalued skill) who isn’t going anywhere for two years – that’s a great pickup. Leiter is a relief pitcher and as I’ve said one million times, except for the extremes at each end of the spectrum, relief pitchers are essentially all the same player – you say “Mark Leiter Jr.” I say “…yawn…”

Not upgrading the starting rotation was a major misstep, however. I’ve been saying it all season, so there’s no need to completely rehash now, but if you think that a rotation that allows A LOT of hard contact (4^th highest exit velocity, 6^th highest barrel %) in the air (highest fly ball rate in MLB), and walks a lot of batters (8^th highest walk rate) is a pitching rotation that’s going to win you a World Series, you’re delusional.

(Pssstt…despite the copious amounts of hard, in the air, contact and walks allowed, Yankees starters have an average HR/FB ratio and the 5^th lowest BABIP allowed in MLB – THAT’S why the results have been “so-so” and not disastrous.)

Speaking of mirages…

Much has been said about Anthony Volpe’s recent hot streak. Since July 26^th, he’s second on the team in HR, SLG and wRC+.

But guess what? Over that stretch, his exit velocity has been below league average, his barrel rate is the lowest on the Yankees, his ground ball rate is the highest on the team, and he hasn’t drawn a walk in over two weeks.

I’m thinking, now hear me out – a BABIP that’s close to 100 points higher than his career average and a 40% HR/FB ratio has more to do with his recent success than his performance.

Gleyber’s benching (takes deep breath): My long-time defense of Gleyber Torres has little to do with Gleyber Torres. It’s due to the bizarre manner in which he’s perceived and treated differently by fans, media, and the organization when compared to his teammates – most of whom commit the same faux pas that Gleyber does and somehow escape without so much as a comment. It’s very likely, given his hand, groin, and power reduction, that he’s been playing injured most of the season and he’s still a good hitter – give the guy a break.

Did I miss something? Let me know – leave a comment below or yell at me @mybaseballpage1 on Twitter and/or the “My Baseball Page” on Facebook.

Want to support MBP? If you shop on Amazon, use the links on this page to get there. You don’t even have to buy what’s on the link – any purchase will lead Amazon to make a tiny donation to MBP! Or you can always buy me a coffee…