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Aug 23, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman talks with the media before the game between the Yankees and the Washington Nationals at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Yankees Have Serious Organizational Concerns

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The New York Yankees' lack of fundamentals has been emphasized amidst the club's slide down the standings over the past two months, and the root of those problems is how the organization develops its players.

Appearing on the "Foul Territory" podcast, Newsday's Erik Boland revealed that the Yankees have put less of an emphasis on the core elements of baseball in favor of an analytical approach to the game.

“The bottom line on this is the Yankees have been a poor fundamental team for a number of years now,” Boland said. “This is an organizational problem, it’s not an Aaron Boone problem. I’ve talked to scouts that are assigned to the Yankees’ minor league system for years about this, and they talk about how from the bottom levels all the way up through Triple-A, fundamentals are not stressed.

“It’s all about exit velocity, spin rate, Driveline and all of the things that have become a big part of the sport in the last decade, and there’s a place for all of that, but what you’re seeing is there’s not an emphasis on actually playing the game well, playing the game instinctually.”

"This is a top-to-bottom organizational issue."@EBoland11 recalls when Didi Gregorius told his Yankees teammates in 2019 after rehabbing, "You wouldn't believe some of the sh*t going on in our minor leagues," regarding the lack of stress on fundamentals. pic.twitter.com/uCELv28zqK
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 5, 2025

In some sense, it's hard to fault New York for desiring to be at the forefront of analytics in a sport that relies on them so heavily. The club has made the playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons, and their focus on advanced data has certainly aided their success in that regard.

Sure, their payroll plays a huge role in that equation on a yearly basis as well, but that can only take you so far. At the same time, however, the Yankees haven't won a World Series since 2009, and their poor fundamentals are at least partially to blame.

The Los Angeles Dodgers told their players before last year's Fall Classic that the Yankees were "talent over fundamentals", per the New York Post's Joel Sherman. That scouting report proved to be accurate, as the Dodgers toppled the Bronx Bombers in five games while looking like the more prepared club the entire way through.

James Lang-Imagn Images

Fast-forward to this season, and New York has made countless mistakes both defensively and on the base paths while compiling a 25-32 record since June 1.

This isn't a recent concern either, as former Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorious told his teammates about some of the questionable tactics he saw being used in the organization's minor league system while on a rehab assignment in 2019.

“I still remember when Didi Gregorious … rehabbed for a couple of weeks back in 2019 in the minor leagues coming back from an injury, and he came back to the big league clubhouse and told several of his teammates, quote, ‘You wouldn’t believe some of the [expletive] going on in our minor leagues.’ And he was talking about what I’m talking about," Boland said.

The Yankees likely can't alter how they operate from the top down with less than two months remaining this season, but if things continue to go south, than the organization may make some sweeping changes moving forward.

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