Possible Yankees lineup configurations for Aaron Boone to consider for World Series
Aaron Boone largely kept a static lineup for the majority of the playoffs until it reached a point where the New York Yankees absolutely needed to switch things up in ALCS Game 3. Austin Wells could no longer hit cleanup. There was just no conceivable way, given the manner in which he was slumping.
The move should've been made much earlier, but the Yankees were 5-1 in playoff games up until that point. As fans know very well, unless Boone and Brian Cashman are absolutely backed into a corner and face-to-face with the torches and pitchforks, they will not make a change.
Wells' 2-for-24 stretch coupled with Matthew Boyd taking the mound for Game 3 forced their hand, though, and Boone went with Giancarlo Stanton in the cleanup spot and started Jose Trevino (who batted ninth). It didn't exactly work out until the Yankees found lightning in a bottle against Emmanuel Clase.
The next game, Boone wanted to keep a lefty in between Aaron Judge and Stanton, which saw Jazz Chisholm moved up to No. 4. But Chisholm went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He is not a middle-of-the-order bat in any sense of the word.
So he was shifted back to the No. 5 spot for Game 5, with Stanton and Judge hitting back-to-back again, and that worked just fine. But perhaps there needs to be a more drastic switch because of how the Yankees are getting killed by one very unproductive bat in the heart of the order.
Yankees lineup adjustments Aaron Boone should make for World Series vs Dodgers
Though we've grown very, very exhausted of Anthony Rizzo's inability to play adequate defense, regardless of how Boone tries to suggest things actually aren't that bad, the veteran slugger's bat has actually been good. He went 6-for-14 with two walks and only three strikeouts. Shouldn't ... he be batting fourth or fifth if he's starting? And hasn't Chisholm forced himself into a lineup demotion ... or even a possible benching here and there?
Yankees possible World Series lineup No. 1
- 2B Gleyber Torres
- RF Juan Soto
- CF Aaron Judge
- 1B Anthony Rizzo
- DH Giancarlo Stanton
- 3B Oswaldo Cabrera
- SS Anthony Volpe
- C Austin Wells
- LF Alex Verdugo
If there's a burning desire to split up Judge and Stanton in the lineup, then our vote goes to Rizzo, who has a ton of playoff experience and has shown an ability to quickly rebound with his bat. The Yankees need offense, and hopefully they'll be able to absorb 1-2 defensive miscues.
Yankees possible World Series lineup No. 2
- 2B Gleyber Torres
- RF Juan Soto
- CF Aaron Judge
- DH Giancarlo Stanton
- 1B Anthony Rizzo
- SS Anthony Volpe
- 3B Jazz Chisholm
- C Austin Wells
- LF Alex Verdugo
Or ... we can just keep the three best hitters in the lineup stacked on top of each other? What's the harm in that? The Dodgers might only have one healthy lefty on their pitching staff for the World Series, so this could be the move, since having three left-handed hitters at the bottom of the lineup would hardly matter.
Yankees possible World Series lineup No. 3
- 2B Gleyber Torres
- RF Juan Soto
- CF Aaron Judge
- DH Giancarlo Stanton
- 1B Anthony Rizzo
- SS Anthony Volpe
- C Austin Wells
- 3B Oswaldo Cabrera
- LF Alex Verdugo
In our eyes, Cabrera has earned more run. He's a switch hitter, he's puts up good at-bats, his defense is tremendous, and he can move around the diamond for late-game switches. His presence could deepen the lineup and improve the Yankees on both sides of the ball. Nothing against Chisholm, but Cabrera might actually be the better defensive third baseman.
Yankees possible World Series lineup No. 4
- 2B Gleyber Torres
- RF Juan Soto
- CF Aaron Judge
- 1B Oswaldo Cabrera
- DH Giancarlo Stanton
- 3B Jazz Chisholm
- SS Anthony Volpe
- C Austin Wells
- LF Alex Verdugo
And then there's Cabrera again, who could serve as the first baseman if needed. He made that clutch double play in Game 5 of the ALCS and immediately showed an ability to slot in at the position when Rizzo dealt with injury troubles this year. It's obvious the Yankees want Rizzo in there, but he's dealing with fractured fingers and mobility issues, so this could be a solution for a game or two.
Don't know. Just trying to help. Because they will have to average more than 4.5 runs per game to win the World Series against the powerhouse Dodgers.