Yankees facing critical decisions as August baseball begins

Offense Versus Defense

Plain and simple, Gary Sanchez does not fit the bill as a major league catcher (yet). He’s learning, but he’s not learning fast enough. And the question facing the Yankees when push comes to shove down the stretch and into the playoffs is this. Is the team better with Austin Romine behind the plate?

This is a tough call because the team is dealing with a young player who is coming off an abbreviated season in 2016, when all the world looked bright. He was rumored to be the next team captain and the next coming of Johhny Bench.

And to make it worse, the Yankees singled him out as the face of the team over the winter, complete with a media extravaganza featuring Sanchez making sandwiches at a Bronx deli.

But all that is behind Sanchez now and the fact of the matter is he’s a glaring hole in the Yankees defense. His supporters say what you want, but today’s game against the Rays is all too typical. In one inning, he was charged with a passed ball and failed to throw out two runners attempting to steal, one of which (literally) stole third base.

His chewing out by Joe Girardi in full view of YES Network cameras and their viewers for not hustling to get out there blocking Masahiro Tanaka‘s patented swing and miss splitter, was inexcusable and not forgotten by Yankees brass.

There’s always the DH spot, of course, but that weakens the team when Matt Holliday is healthy and hitting.

Again, just something to watch.