Scout: Yankees Need to Dumb Problems

Are the New York Yankees a good ballclub? Absolutely. That's why they sit in first place in the American League East with the All-Star break approaching.

Do the Yankees have problems needing to be fixed if they want to contend for a World Series title? For sure, the New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote on Friday.

Heyman based his opinion on a discussion with an unnamed scout, who rattled off several problems plaguing the Yankees.

“Their 4/5 starters are awful," the scout told Heyman.

The scout also criticized the Yankees' fundamentals, said he doesn't trust the bullpen and noted that the offense will live and die by Aaron Judge. "Better hope he doesn't get hurt," the scout told Heyman. 

Now, it's worth noting the scout told Heyman he's a fan of the Yankees' top three starters and that the "non-Judge portion of the lineup is still decent."

But the scout couldn't get past the Yankees' problems executing the fundamentals, noting the propensity for erratic throws by third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. and shortstop Anthony Volpe. The scout also dinged the Yankees for "poor baserunning decisions" and "giving up extra outs and extra bases."

“They just make dumb decisions on both sides of the ball,” the scout said, per Heyman. “They win because they have Judge and three really good starters. But when I watch them, I don’t think I’m watching a really good baseball team. They are sloppy. Talent wins and hides sloppiness at times.” 

Based on that evaluation, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has some work to do over the next four weeks ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline.

Are the Yankees good? Yes. Are they good enough to win the World Series? That remains to be seen. After all, one only needs to look back at Game 5 last year against the Los Angeles Dodgers to see how the fundamentals can make or break title contenders.

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