New York Yankees‘ manager Aaron Boone is tasked with the important duty of fostering confidence within his team and seeking out silver linings in underwhelming performances. However, painting a rosy picture for the media and fans when reality shows otherwise can be a futile effort.
The Yankees’ Offensive Struggles: Seeing Beyond the Positive Spin
Regardless of Boone’s attempts to portray the Yankees in the most positive light, the truth cannot be disguised. The cold hard statistics revealing the team’s disappointing offensive performance are readily accessible on any sports analytics site, especially their poor results with runners in scoring position.
Boone had no choice but to let Aaron Judge rest after two consecutive games following his comeback from an injury. Judge is the backbone of the Yankees, yet general manager Brian Cashman seems uninterested in any significant deadline deals to bolster the offense. Notably, Gleyber Torres, one of the team’s standout offensive players this season, is reportedly up for sale.
The Yankees have had a rough year with the bat, ranking 29th in batting average (.231) and 26th in OBP (.303). Their OPS is also underwhelming, standing at 23rd in the game. The Yankees have the fewest at-bats with runners in scoring position in the MLB at 735, along with the fewest hits at 174 and the fewest RBIs at 265.
Boone’s Uphill Battle: Inspiring a Struggling Team
There’s no escaping the harsh realities for Boone, fully aware of his team’s struggles and making desperate attempts to spur them out of this tough phase. Still, his assertion of a good performance from the Yankees’ offense following an 18-strikeout game against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday defies belief.
“Outside of the strikeouts, I thought at-bats were building off of last night. I thought we grinded out really well. We made it really tough on Kremer. We couldn’t finish off.”
In Sunday’s game, starting first baseman Anthony Rizzo struck out five times in five at-bats, with Jake Bauers and Giancarlo Stanton each striking out thrice. Boone’s search for positives in such a scenario seems futile, as the Yankees’ consistent failure to capitalize on loaded bases reveals their struggle to perform in high-stakes situations.
“We had a couple of good scoring opportunities where we had the bases loaded. We had maybe a first and second or second and third another time. So I thought we carried some of that momentum in from last night, but obviously, they beat us up with the strikeout, too and that’s why we weren’t able to throw more crooked numbers up there. But the 18, that’s a big number, right? But I do think a lot of guys had good at-bats building off of last night.”
Time for the Yankees to Acknowledge and Address Their Issues?
While Boone’s efforts to shield his players from criticism are commendable, these professional athletes need to acknowledge their lackluster performances and take responsibility for their declining stats. Rizzo, for instance, should not be struggling this much after a strong start to the season.
The question then arises: when will the Yankees confront their issues head-on and use them as motivation to regain their form?
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