Yankees insider destroys team on MLB Network for overload of mistakes

If you've followed Joel Sherman for long enough, you're well aware he pulls no punches when it comes to the New York Yankees. He's held the franchise to a championship standard during an era when some have seemingly accepted "good" regular seasons/"oh well, what can you do?" postseasons as the best we can hope for.

It was Sherman who reddened Brian Cashman's face at the GM meetings over Anthony Volpe's development last fall, provoking the all-time NSFW rant we sort of assumed might have implications for Cash (it didn't really). And it was Sherman again this week who hopped onto national television after the Yankees' impressive 3-1 series victory over the Boston Red Sox to remind casual viewers that it wasn't all great. In fact, much of it was dreck.

The Yankees needed a comeback from 4-0 down in the seventh and a Juan Soto walk-off (paired with a bullpen tightrope) to win a home series over their .500 rivals. That's a testament to their talent; as Sherman said, "The Yankees are gonna out-talent you."

They're also going to do a number of things that make you loudly scratch your head, which Sherman calls "un-baseball-y plays." He's notched them in his scorecard all year long while watching the team, and boy, did they make a number of them this weekend, seemingly not learning their lesson that tightening at the margins might behoove them this October, when the talent gulf is lower between competitors.

Yankees' dreadful baserunning, overall blunders could sink team in October

Give Sherman credit: Volpe hasn't exactly made the Yankees look "pretty f***ing good" this year. And give him credit again for this weekend's lengthy reminder that, no matter who you blame, the "group project" that is the 2024 Yankees is sloppy far too often to be taken seriously as an American League favorite.

Alex Verdugo knows the right field dimensions, but there he is miscalculating them again. Gleyber Torres has been responsible for a record-setting number of Sherman's scorecard notes this year. Jazz Chisholm, who's electric unless he's asleep, helped pile on to the Yankees' abominable baserunning stats this weekend.

The one silver lining? Joe Espada's Astros are also horrendous in that department, and the Yankees might actually be able to out-talent Houston this year (aided by the mental edge Juan Soto helped them accrue in the opening series).

Unfortunately, though, any big moment in October will include this infield defense ... and this bullpen ... and this leadership. Sometimes, it's worth getting a little low just when you were about to be too high. Isn't that what Aaron Boone always warns about anyway?