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New York Yankees Editorial: Should The Yankees Make Lineup Changes?

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For most of the season, the New York Yankees offense carried the rotation, but lately, the offense has struggled to put runs on the board.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggested three changes that manager Joe Girardi should make to spark the lineup as the season winds down:

"1) Consider Didi Gregorius for the No. 2 spot, recognizing that he has found a second wind at a time when [Brett] Gardner’s second half — except for a brief wake-up last week against Toronto — has been a black hole. 2) Make Carlos Beltran the No. 3 batter. He has been the Yankees’ best hitter for an extended period. So he must bat in the first inning and be assured more frequent at-bats. 3) Drop [Chase] Headley to ninth in the order. The oomph seems to have gone out of his bat, and that he is hitting ahead of [Dustin] Ackley and Gregorius doesn’t make sense right now."

Sherman’s lineup changes make some sense, as Gardner has struggled for the majority of the second half, while Gregorius’s new approach has turned him into a solid hitter.  Beltran has also been one of the Yankees best bats, if not the best, since April, while Headley should likely be the number nine hitter.

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The problem preventing Sherman’s changes from happening is that Girardi is a manager who sticks with the guys that he trusts.  Gardner, Alex Rodriguez, and Headley have much more of Girardi’s trust than Gregorius, Beltran, and Ackley.

Is this fair? No, but as you saw last year, when he kept Derek Jeter in the two-hole despite the legendary shortstop struggling for most of his of his fairwell tour, Girardi doesn’t always manage to be fair.  Jeter had shown Girardi that he was worthy of the manager’s trust, and an extended slump wasn’t going to change that.

The situation is repeating itself in the second half of 2015, except with Gardner struggling behind Jacoby Ellsbury.  Whether or not Girardi is right to stick by his proven veterans is hard to say, as players who have been around a long time will tell you that baseball is a game of streaks.

Gardner and Headley could be due to break out of his slump any day now, or it could continue through October.  If the latter happens, and Girardi refuses to make lineup changes, he could greatly diminish the Yankees chances at #28, and that should be above all, including egos of star players or the amount of money they make.

What do you think Yankees fans?  Should Girardi make any of the lineup changes suggested by Sherman?  If so, which moves should the Yankees manager make?  Let us know in the comments below.

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