The Yankees: Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury (“The Chief”)

Yankees fans have a love hate relationship with one Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury. He maybe the most misaligned Yankee of all time. Often criticized for his on field play since he joined the Bronx Bombers. Truth is he has performed, just not up to the lofty standards of his contract. But, you would have signed that deal too!

Yankee fans remember, back in December of 2013, Jacoby Ellsbury and the Yankees agreed on a $153 million seven-year contract. That contract came with an option year and a full no trade contract. The Pinstripers secured one of the top lead-off men in baseball.

Jacoby Ellsbury’s Life:

Yankees Jacoby Ellsbury, a Navajo Native American Indian and direct descendant of tribal leader

Ganado Mucho. Jacoby started life on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. His family moved once Jacoby entered kindergarten in Madras, Oregon. Jacoby is quite familiar with John Mellencamp’s song “Pink Houses,”  it has a special meaning to an American Indian. Life has not always been a bed of roses for Native Americans in our country.

Jacoby has the pleasure of being the first Major League player of Navajo descent. Originally, drafted by Tampa Bay. Ellsbury decided to attend college. This decision, paid huge dividends for the young Jacoby Ellsbury, as in 2005 he was a first round choice by the Boston Red Sox.

In 2010 to help charities, he released a wine called ZinfandEllsbury, with all proceeds to go to three charities: The Navajo Relief Fund, Project Bread: The Walk for Hunger and Ellsbury Read Project. He followed that up by marrying the lovely Kelsey Hawkins in 2012. They now have two children. Now you know more about the life of this Navajo. 

Yankees Career:

Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner formed one of the most dreaded top of the order duos in baseball. Just like the line in the lyrics of the song Sixteen Tons “If the right one don’t get ya, then the left one will!” They terrorized American League pitching. By running wild on the bases. A walk was as good as a double with these two-speed demons.

Injuries have plague, Jacoby. Ellsbury puts forth a solid offensive run. Next thing you know he is on the disabled list with another injury. Just when it appears the Bronx Bombers need him the most, Ellsbury is on the DL. That has, in turn, spurned a lot of criticism his way.

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Was the Yankee fan criticism fair? Taking a look at Jacoby Ellsbury’s career, we see he has an accumulated a 30.1 WAR in his 11 years of service. He has a slash line of .284/.341/.417 and has 338 steals. Just for comparison sake, Brett Gardner, in 10 years,  has a 34.0 WAR and a slash line of .263/.346/.425 and 236 steals. Very similar!

How do these two Yankees compare this year?. Gardner has a slash line of .256/.345/.425 with 18 steals and 20 home runs. Ellsbury has a slash line of .254/.335/.394 with 17 steals and seven home runs. Home run output is the big difference. Very similar production. Just a head scratcher, why one is loved and the other fans want ran out on a rail. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

Next: Yankees: Jacoby Ellsbury could actually become tradeable

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