Yankees Joe Girardi and the hobgoblins of little minds

The Yankees are headed for the playoffs. And manager Joe Girardi’s consistency is one big reason, even if it drives his critics crazy.

The Yankees and Yankees fans expect results. And not just the, we made it to the ALCS, kind of results. From the Steinbrenners to the stadium sweepers, championship banners are the Yankees raison d’etre.

It’s why Yankees manager Joe Girardi wears number 28 on his back. He wants everyone to know that the mission statement is still banners or bust. Of course, it also puts a bulls-eye on his back.

But that creates a conundrum, this place where philosophy and reality meet. No team can win the title every year; the Yankees tried it in the late ’40s and early ’50’s. It turned out that after a while they got tired of running around the bases, scoring all those runs, and finally let the Giants win one just to get some rest.

So, Girardi has inflicted unreasonable sartorial pressure on himself; his many critics have not had a problem piling on. And it is fair in some ways to judge him on his stated version of a successful season.

But any judging must be done first and foremost on Aristotelian empiricism and a long-term view. Sports is, after all, based completely on results. And baseball is all about longevity.

Joe’s biggest fault seems to be his consistency, which is perhaps his defining characteristic. Were I to peruse every article written about Girardi just this year, I could find two or three dozen criticizing him for not demoting and/or replacing players quickly enough.

If I read the comments sections, I could find hundreds of such criticisms, often with more direct and salty language. I, too, have found fault with Girardi’s patience on rare occassion.

But closer scrutiny, required for accurate judging, reveals a successful method to Joe’s maddening consistency.

The Yankees Season Starts in October

First, Girardi manages differently between the first four months of baseball and the last two.

Four months is a long time, even in baseball years. Joe’s smart enough to know that the team that leaves camp is going to position the Yankees for the last two months, a quasi-second season before the playoffs.

He has to get every ounce of talent out of the group that Cashman gives him in any hopes of getting more at the trade deadline. So, those first months Joe almost gives to the players as a tryout.

Jeter always said the regular season is the pre-season; I think Joe shares a somewhat similar outlook.

Sometimes, like last year, the team plays poorly enough that the Yankees become sellers. Since that is a possible outcome, Girardi might be stuck with certain under performing or injury-prone players for 162 games. It makes managerial sense for him to give these players every chance to be successful and defend them in the press.

But this year, and more often than not, the team declared itself worthy of upgrades. At the end of that fourth month, important new impact players were added and drags on the team banished; see Tyler Clippard.

And once this new team was formed, Girardi as usual began to manage it differently. In August, and even more so in September, feelings start taking a back seat to performance. And just as students start heading back to school, Girardi starts cracking the books.

History Major

One thing Joe does perhaps better than any other manager is put his players in a position to succeed. That is the mission statement for all managers in all fields. And, as night must follow day, the team usually finds more success as the individual players do.

Any survey of Girardi’s tenure shows him taking somewhat limited players and improving their slash lines in the late season by learning and maximizing their abilities. That’s what Joe was doing those first four months: adding each players numbers from this season to their history.

Then, when the last six weeks arrive, he knows how to use each player to maximize his abilities, and the Yankees chances of winning  games.

You want to know why Headley’s average and production have gone up so much? It’s partially due to better performance. And it’s partially due to match-ups.

You can see similar results with many players during Joe’s tenure. Yankees fans might yell at their tv’s when they think Joe is sticking with an Alex Rodriguez or Aaron Hicks during under performing Junes, or even Aroldis Chapmans.

But those same fans are thrilled when Girardi knows how to reach into his expanded-roster bench and pull just the right player, for just the right moment, in late September. Or when a player who looked lost in July hits a key home run, because Joe now knows exactly how to best put the player, and team, in position to succeed.

And Joe always shortens his hook in the last six weeks of the season. If a player doesn’t perform, Joe is much more likely to sit him, than support him. Just look at how differently he dealt with Bryan Mitchell in August.

Down, but Not Out

I wrote a perhaps overly-caustic commentary about Mitchell a few weeks ago. Some readers disagreed with my language, but not the point that Mitchell was under performing. Bryan would have been given many more opportunities if this were April or May.

But not in August. Two days after the article, Joe had Mitchell sent down. He was recently recalled but will find a similarly short leash unless he performs. And that goes for all the players, when you play for Joe Girardi in the late season.

However, Joe will also consistently handle players differently based on their talent level. Ever pragmatic, Girardi understands that it takes talent to win tournaments. While the team might be cavalier with a Bryan Mitchell, they will much more round-headed with a player such as Aroldis Chapman.

That man has had the definition of an up and down season. Through it all, however, Girardi stuck with him. And that’s because Joe didn’t know if Chapman would be injured for the year or traded; he didn’t know if the team was going to be playoff bound, or in rebuilding mode.

But he knew that Chapman at his best can be a difference maker in the playoffs.

A Righteous Brother

And so he only demoted him when Chapman himself came to the realization that he was not, um, himself. We all saw Chappie’s uncharacteristic emotional reactions on the mound as he gave up big hits, and big games.

Aroldis, now, has got that loving feeling again and looks very comfy in the closers role. His talent level at his position is still tops in the game, far greater than Mitchell’s at his.

Now, would Chapman be better for the Yankees, on the mound and in the clubhouse, playing for a manager he trusts, or one that demoted him in early June or questioned him in the press? Is it possible that there is a small part of Chapman that will fight more for the team, and manager, who fought for him?

Don’t bother answering: Joe Girardi already knows.

Garrett Cooper, Greg Bird, Ji-Man Choi…

However, this is not a philosophical endeavor. Again, sports is about results, as should be the judgments.

On June ninth, when the All-Star break began, the Yankees had the fourth best record in the AL (45-41). They were followed by TB, Minn, and KC. Today, the Yankees have the fourth best record in the AL. Only now they are followed by Minn, LA, and Texas.

And it’s difficult to blame Girardi that his team has not overtaken the Red Sox. The Yankees have seen most of their best players miss significant time, usually a month or more.

Boston has had to pay a certain Price this season, but nothing that compares to losing Didi, Starlin, Ellsbury, CC, and the August Mr. Sanchez, just to name a few.

That list does not include the litany of first basemen who have come and gone in 2017. In fact, instead of burying Girardi because the team is slated for the Wild Card game, he should be praised for keeping the team afloat while the talent returned and Judge slumped.

In case that sounds like an excuse, I will be clear: The Red Sox are the better team because they have the better record. If they have been more fortunate than the Yankees, then that is just part of the game. The Sox are talented and have earned thier first place position.

The Daily News

Different teams have made runs in the second half. And every time a team won eleven of thirteen, commentators were sure the Yankees were in trouble, about to be bumped from their playoff perch.

Yet through it all, the Yankees have played consistently, Girardi never letting them get too high or too low. And they’ve gained ground.

Toronto had a run that was sure to propel them to the playoffs; today they are in last place. Tampa also made a run, but have fallen to fourth place and three games under .500. Seattle, Texas, and Kansas City all had brief but intriguing winning streaks. Now, all are on the outside looking in at the playoffs.

Today, those aforementioned Royals are one game under .500 and out of any playoff possibilities. Their make-up game on September 25th in the Bronx is important now only to Joe Girardi’s squad.

And that’s because the Yankees are currently 78-65 and look like one of the best teams in the AL.

The Yankees are Contentious under Joe

Some might raise the objection that the Yankees have missed more playoffs than they have made in the last five years. But Girardi’s defenders would counter that he routinely leads his squads to more wins than they were projected to, based on the team’s talent.

More importantly, Girardi always has his teams in contention for the playoffs usually until the last weekend of the season. In the normal baseball world, making the playoffs most years and barely missing them when you do is considered at least a good job.

But when your own clothes proclaim that the only a championship season is a success, those accomplishments seem small.

Pitching In

And maybe they are in the Yankees universe. Worse, though, would be not preparing the team for the playoffs in case they make it. Yankees teams should always be prepared to be successful. Here again, Girardi’s consistency becomes visible…and valuable

As mentioned, Girardi is ever the utilitarian thinker. You can bet he has shifted his plans to the Wild Card game already, instead of focusing on winning the division. This might rankle some but is in the best interest of winning deep into the playoffs.

It is not a coincidence, for instance, that the Yankees are using a six-man rotation in September. Joe knows that no matter how a team gets into the playoffs, it has a much better chance of winning if it’s well rested.

And a Parade

That plan bore brilliant fruit in 2009. Joe wanted to go with CC on short rest in the World Series, and he was able to because he planned for it in September:

But Joe Girardi is not worried about Sabathia, in part because the Yankees “slowed him down” toward the end of the regular said. He pitched 253 innings in 2008, but only 230 this season. “He’s been able to have extra rest and that’s why we feel good about it,” Girardi said. “We wouldn’t ask him to do something that we didn’t think he was capable of or that he (wouldn’t) have a chance to be successful at.”

Joe’s consistent long-term approach was also pointed out in this article from nj.com:

The Yankees used September to give Sabathia extra rest, in preparation for working on short rest in the playoffs. “I think that helps recharge a pitcher,” Girardi said.

And Sabathia’s comments from 2009 show how Girardi’s decisions are seen by the players he must trust, and must trust him:

“I’ve had enough rest the last couple of months to feel comfortable enough to go out there and pitch on three days rest,” Sabathia said.

Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail

Looks like Joe is at it again, predictably. Using six pitchers right now undoubtedly makes it harder for the Yankees to win the division. But, if they can get through the Wild Card game, they will have a better chance of winning the following rounds.

Winning the division would be well worth the effort. But once the odds seem slim, pragmatic Girardi always feels it’s better to let the other teams kill themselves in the regular season, all the easier to kill them in the postseason.

And since consistency and predictability are intrinsically linked, we don’t have to wait to see who is going to start that one game playoff. Without question, Joe is using the six man rotation and day off on Thursday to set his pitching line-up through the WC and hoped for ALDS.

If we don’t know for sure today who is pitching that projected game, we will next Friday after the day off. Right now, assuming Joe uses his six man twice, Luis Severino looks on track to pitch the play-in game.