Yankees: Four (More) Takeaways From Spring Training

The Yankees Could Have A Left Hand Right Hand Problem

The relationship between a team’s managing partner, general manager, and field manager is complicated and often tenuous.

It’s like making a pie where each ingredient is separate but crucial to the outcome. Put together the wrong mix, and you have a pie destined only for the garbage, not someone’s palate

And it’s always difficult looking at these relationships from the outside looking in, so there’s a need to be careful, and I will be.

But two events occurred yesterday that raise a red flag that at least begs the question, is there trouble brewing in the management offices of the Yankees, or can these developments be chalked up to “miscommunication”?

Is it simply a matter of the left hand not talking to the right hand before making decisions that affect the organization

The incidents I am speaking of are the announcement by Joe Girardi that Aaron Hicks is likely to replace Aaron Judge in right field on Opening Day. This, in spite of the fact that Hal Steinbrenner had already pre-ordained Judge for the spot. Read more on that story in a post that appeared on Yanks Go Yard on Saturday.

And second, there was also an announcement, again made by Girardi, that James Kaprielian would be appearing in a Spring Training game in 5-6 days. This despite a comment made previously by Brian Cashman only a few days before that Kaprielian’s rehab from an injury would continue to proceed at a “snail’s pace”. There’s more on that story too in a Yanks Go Yard post.

The immediate question becomes what to make of all this. Is it, for instance, Girardi making the last year hurrah stand in his final year with the Yankees? Not likely, but possible. Or, did Hal Steinbrenner speak out of turn when he anointed Judge, instead of leaving that decision to his baseball people?

Because if Hal was his father (which would be something new in his make-up), no one would flinch an eye and Aaron Judge would be the Yankee’s right fielder no matter what any said or tried to do.

Or, is it simply a matter of the left hand not talking to the right hand before making decisions that affect the organization, and certainly the team that will take the field in a few weeks on Opening Day.

Whatever it is, it’s not good. And the Yankees need to button this up, getting on the same page, or even more alarming, reading the same book. You can’t have this, and more importantly, you can’t have it when you are dealing with the fragile egos of the Baby Bombers, who need to know exactly what their role on the team is.