Yankees: 4 slash lines you wouldn’t believe are real three weeks into 2021 season

3. Aaron Hicks

Let’s look at the bright side again to start this one off before we dive into the ugly. Aaron Hicks has a .500 on-base percentage in his last eight plate appearances. We will take it!

But he’s still got quite the journey ahead of him. Through his first 16 games (totaling 65 plate appearances), the veteran is slashing .161/.277/.232. Two extra-base hits all year (one double and one homer). What’s even more wild? He was batting under .100 for quite some time. A .161 batting average almost feels like .275 at this point.

Hicks’ struggles from the left side of the plate have been the most alarming because that’s where the Yankees need him most. His ability as a switch hitter has forced the team to rely upon him to balance out the lineup, which isn’t his fault at all — it’s the front office’s for not building a roster that has true lefties capable of producing. But Hicks has always been better as a lefty, until 2021.

Let’s look at the differences:

• Hitting lefty vs RHP – .108/.250/.108 in 44 plate appearances
• Hitting righty vs LHP – .263/.333/.474 in 21 plate appearances

And his claim to fame — his defensive abilities — have seemingly dissipated. To put it nicely, he’s been a bad center fielder so far this season. And we’re not sure when it’ll get better.

Thankfully, this is still a small sample size and there’s plenty of time to turn it around … but the early returns are as discouraging as it gets.

2. Clint Frazier

If not for his incredible diving catch on Wednesday night, Clint Frazier would’ve had a body of work that featured zero good moments. And we’re not saying that to be mean. It’s just true.

His defense has been more shaky than reliable and his bat … well, his bat isn’t leaving his shoulder. And we couldn’t tell you why. He’s swung at just 56.3% of balls in the strike zone. That’s barely over half of the strikes he’s seen! Overall, he’s swinging just 35% of the time!

That’s translated to a .163/.265/.209 slash line. Two extra-base hits (two doubles) and six walks in 49 plate appearances. Seventeen strikeouts in 14 games. And it’s not like he hasn’t had his chances.

Frazier’s gotten 14 plate appearances with runners in scoring position and has managed to hit .167 with a .286 OBP. At this point, he’s the worst hitter on the team, and that’s really saying a lot considering how bad Hicks has been.

We could chalk it up to manager Aaron Boone screwing with Frazier’s playing time, but he’s done little to prove in the early going that he’s the team’s true starting left fielder. Despite the smaller sample size than these other hitters, he simply has to come through when called upon more than he has.

1. Giancarlo Stanton

At this point, Giancarlo Stanton is the most disliked Yankee and it feels like it’s not even close. He was the subject of boos during the first weekend of the season and they’ve consistently poured onto him ever since.

And sadly, it’s for good reason. Unless the man is hitting a home run every other night, his production will probably never make up for the amount of times he strikes out, how infrequently he gets hits, and how he hardly ever comes through in clutch situations — at least in the eyes of Yankees fans.

So far, the $325 million slugger is hitting an unthinkable .158/.238/.333 across his first 15 games and 63 plate appearances. Somehow, the permanent DH has already gotten three games off, which is far too many for a guy who doesn’t sniff the field and for the amount of money he’s making.

He’s got four extra-base hits (three home runs, one double) and has struck out 21 times. Part of the reason? He’s swinging at pitches out of the zone at a 35% clip. He’s swung and missed at strikes 18% of the time. He’s seen a first-pitch strike 60% of the time and is still batting .158. How?!

When will it end? We really do not know. Are other players around MLB performing this poorly? Absolutely. But there’s no collection of players this talented in the same lineup struggling as if it’s their first cup of coffee at the big league level. That’s why Yankees fans have every right to be concerned.

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