Yankees: Which hitters need to step up the most this postseason?

As the Yankees await news on Didi Gregorius’ status for the playoffs the team is going to have to roll with what they have regardless of if he can return or not. Even without their star shortstop the Yanks still have the pieces to make a deep October run, but that means guys are going to have to step.

Here are the two hitters the Yankees need to get going ASAP if they have any hopes of making a deep postseason run, with or without Didi.

Giancarlo Stanton

Whether Didi gets cleared to play in the playoffs or not the Yankees need last year’s NL MVP to start playing like one as he prepares to experience his first taste of postseason baseball. The last six weeks and the month of September especially have not been too kind to Stanton and it’s hard to understand.

When Aaron Judge first went down with his injury back at the end of July it was Stanton who stepped up big time to carry the load with his power bat. On August 18th he was hitting .285 and well on his way to another 40 HR, 100 RBI season, but since then the production has completely disappeared. He’s only hit three home runs and driven in 15 while his average has dropped all the way down to .260. In September he’s hit an abysmal .154 and slugged .295.

Stanton’s drop off this month has put a damper on what would have been an outstanding first season in pinstripes and as of today, we’ll look back on his 2018 as somewhat underwhelming. That is unless he snaps out of this funk and delivers a postseason performance to remember starting next Wednesday.

This is the moment Stanton has been waiting for his entire career and now that it’s almost here he needs to take on the challenge and make everyone forget about these last couple weeks. All it takes is one big hit for Stanton to earn back the cheers from Yankee fans and you know how much he wants to deliver that hit this October.

It goes without saying that if Stanton continues to struggle as much as he has this Yankee lineup will have a tough time scoring runs the deeper they get into the postseason. The Yankees need Stanton to break out more than anyone and be the game changer they brought him here to be.

Gary Sanchez

Stanton has been the Yankees coldest hitter in September but Gary Sanchez certainly isn’t far behind. It’s been a nightmare season for Sanchez filled with injuries and criticism for his play on both sides of the ball. And since his return from the DL, it’s been more of the same for El Gary.

He’s hitting .171 this month with a .329 SLG %, 3 HR and 10 RBI. Sanchez continues to struggle with pitch recognition at the plate and chasing balls well out of the strike zone. Seeing him hit .184 this season is something nobody ever could have seen coming after many including myself thought he would be an MVP candidate before the year began.

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Of course, injuries have played a big role and some bad luck on balls in play have contributed as well but still, there’s no another way to summarize Sanchez’s season up to this point as anything other than a massive disappointment.

However, that’s not to say he still can’t turn things around quickly and remind Yankee fans why they should never give up on him as long as he has a bat in his hands. He did that last night with a big home run and 4 RBI to lead the Yankees closer to securing home field for next week’s Wild Card game.

Let’s not forget what Sanchez was during his first two seasons as a big leaguer. He was one of the best sluggers in the game and the top offensive catcher in baseball by a long shot. As bad as he’s been the Yankees are going to ride or die with him because they still believe that he can change the narrative with a couple big swings in October. That’s why Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman have tripled down on Sanchez and guaranteed that he’ll be behind the plate this postseason.

The thought of benching Sanchez for the Wild Card game isn’t a crazy one because there is a chance that he could cost the team their season with one big defensive miscue. However, starting him is a risk they have to take because if he can get hot he still has the tools to carry this Yankee offense and win a game all by himself.

In the playoffs, it’s a fresh start for everyone and for Sanchez, this is an opportunity for him to salvage his season and prove that this year was a fluke and won’t define who he is as a player. The Yankees need him to step up and go out there and be the offensive force we all know he can be.