Yankees: These are radical times and they demand radical changes

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.