Yankees: These are radical times and they demand radical changes

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Aaron Judge (Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images) /

The Yankees lineup has been twisted, juggled, and turned upside down to get the offense moving. But when your big three all plunge into the abyss at the same time, is there anything to do but kneel at the altar and pray?

The Yankees, in their last ten games, have scored thirty-one runs and eight of those came in one game. The team’s Big Three, of Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, and Clint Frazier have all hit the skids at one time, and there doesn’t appear to be a breaking out point for any of them.

Joe Girardi appears to be as perplexed as anyone as he sorts through his bag of dwindling tricks to shake up his lineup, watching his team slog through a 4-6 record over their last ten games.

For those who would rather see the cup half full, Aaron Hicks is due back soon, Greg Bird is making progress, and Starlin Castro is taking batting practice, although neither has a timetable attached to their return.

And Yankees fans should be happy to hear the pitching staff has the best ERA in the major leagues for the month of August. A lot of good it’s doing the team though if the offense isn’t behind them. The Big Three has to come through for the Yankees to thrive and not just survive. Here’s a breakdown on each of them as I see it. You won’t like it, and neither do I., but this has gone on long enough.

Can Gary Sanchez Juggle

The Yankees are spending a lot of time with Sanchez working on his catching. Girardi has said numerous times the team will do everything it can to help him, but in the end, it’s up to Sanchez to take it to the field during games.

Last night, there was a noticeable difference in the way he was getting down quickly and purposively to block balls in the dirt, and there were no passed balls or errors we’ve regularly seen in recent games.

But the question is can he multi-task? Can he juggle between concentrating on his catching, while remembering he’s also a major part of the Yankees offense? Last year when he tore the league apart with his hitting, his catching was not a part of the conversation. In fact, he was praised for the “gun” he carries to throw runners out.

All of that is history now. And to answer my question, Sanchez does impress me as a player who can concentrate on two things at once, contributing to the team with both offense and defense.

And if he’s going to hit .260 with only 31 extra base hits in 300 at-bats, and his defense is questionable at best, why is he even on the team now? And maybe he needs a wake-up call that sends him down to Triple-A for a week or two to get himself straightened out.

Who replaces him is a good question. But Austin Romine has proven his ability behind the plate, and moreover, Joe Girardi trusts him there knowing it’s one less thing he needs to worry about. Romine can catch five days a week easily and then it’s up to Brian Cashman to figure out the rest concerning his backup.

Radical changes are needed in radical times.

Aaron Judge (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

Aaron Judge Doesn’t Deserve This

That sounds like a funny statement to make, but it’s true. The Yankees have left their slugging right fielder out there long enough to dry, but he’s still getting soaked wet. Judge has more strikeouts than anyone in the major leagues since the All Star Break, not to mention the new game in town now to keep track of the number of consecutive games in which he’s had at least one K.

And all we need to know about that is it’s another Yankees record he’s set. The Yankees keep running him out there with the hope that maybe, just maybe, tonight will be the night when Judge turns it all around and that old magic of the first half reappears.

If you were to ask Aaron Judge, “What’s wrong?”, The likely answer you’d get right now is a befuddled shake of the head, or maybe just a simple, “Everything.” He’s lost.

He’s gone from the Face of Baseball, proclaimed by the Commissioner of baseball, to the Enigma of Baseball in a matter of weeks. And the questions as to why are more prevalent than the answers, other than the usual one, which is he has to just “play through it.”

Like Gary Sanchez, though, maybe the best place for Judge to do that is in Scranton instead of the Bronx, at least for a week or so. What harm would it do?

For the Yankees, nothing, given his production of late. But for Judge, it could mean everything and at least a chance to put it all back in the perspective he’s had, which is to take it one game at a time.

Again, it’s a gutsy move for the Yankees to make, but I’ll say it again, radical times demand drastic changes.

Let Destiny Ride And Prevail

Clint Frazier was never supposed to be playing for the Yankees this season. He was one of the players who Brian Cashman had designated as needing a full year at the highest level of the minors before he would be ready to play in the Bronx.

He would be called up in September when the rosters expanded, and he would be given as many at-bats as Joe Girardi could provide. And then in Spring Training, he would be granted the opportunity to make the Yankees outfield.

But as fate would have it, Aaron Hicks went down, and Frazier was called up as his replacement. Much like his compadre Aaron Judge, he flourished in all elements of the game, receiving praise for his “quick bat” and all-around ability as a five-tool player.

But again, much like Judge Frazier has stumbled as the league catches up with him, picking him apart offensively, and leaving Frazier precious little time to make the adjustments necessary to catch up.

Meanwhile, the Yankees are in the middle of a pennant race staring at the reality they’ve always known that Frazier wasn’t ready, and wondering what to do with him.

The Yankees did have a plan for Frazier once Aaron Hicks returned, and it was to send him down while eating the distress of the Yankees faithful.

They should do it and not look back.

(Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) /

Summing It Up

Let’s begin with some givens. One, the Yankees offense of late has been almost non-existent. Agreed? Two, the main core of that offense has not been contributing. Agreed? Three, Brett Gardner, Didi Gregorius, Todd Frazier, or Chase Headley are not capable of carrying the team. Agreed?

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Four, the Yankees Big Three, each for their reasons, has drastically slid in production and the immediate prognosis is dim regarding any remedy coming soon. Agreed? Five, the Yankees have a chance shortly to regain as many as three injured players. Agreed?

And lastly, the Yankees aren’t doing much of anything with the Big Three, so how much worse could it be without them?

An outfield at this stage of the season consisting of Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Aaron Hicks doesn’t sound that bad, does it? And having a Joe Girardi type catcher in Austin Romine catching certainly doesn’t look bad, either.

The potential of the Yankees lineup is not being realized, and the team is playing fortified but losing baseball as a result. They’ve been lucky to date that another team hasn’t caught fire to challenge them in their standing for the first Wild Card team. But, do you want to gamble on that continuing for the rest of the season?

Next: Are the Yankees fooling everybody, or just themselves

Radical times demand radical changes. The moves are only temporary, but this is a team that needs a serious offensive wake-up call.

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