Aaron Boone

New York Yankees Postseason Recap: Yankees strike out 18 times in loss to the Rays, Series tied up at 1

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

The New York Yankees entered Petco Park in San Diego last evening with their outlook looking encouraging.  They just came off a big win in the ALDS last night, their whole lineup was alive and hitting, and their high paid star Giancarlo Stanton was as hot as he has been for the Yankees. Their new $324 million man on the mound Gerrit Cole had performed like the ace he is. So, what went wrong last night; everything.

Last night was a night with more questions than hits.  The New York Yankees only got five hits while striking out 18 times. Yes, the Tampa Bay Rays starter Tyler Glasnow was good, but the Yankees missed opportunity after opportunity. No team in the history of baseball in the modern era has ever struck out 18 times in a nine-inning game.  That just can’t happen in the postseason when in a short series.

Question number two is what was manager Aaron Boone thinking. Why have total faith in a highly praised pitching prospect Deivi Garcia, and then pull him after giving up just one run? Boone is notorious for leaving pitchers in too long, even after giving up five runs. Another question is, why bring in a starting pitcher to relieve him and blow two starters in one game when you short starters anyway? Maybe the bigger question is why didn’t Boone start their tried and true successful postseason starter Masahiro Tanaka in a Game 2, and put the ALDS further out of reach of the Rays?

Another question is why would MLB send out C.B. Bucknor to call balls and strikes in a crucial postseason game.  Angel Hernandez and C.B. Bucknor are two of the worst ball and strike callers of all the MLB umpires? Both of these men are so bad they can affect the outcome of the game. I am not making excuses for the Yankees striking out, but several of those called strikes weren’t even close. At one point in the game, Brett Gardner nearly jumped out of the dugout at Bucknor. He was just as bad against both teams, but it more affected the Yankees.

The game started out with the 21-year-old Deivi Garcia on the mound, the youngest Yankee to ever start a postseason game.  Garcia had earned the right; he pitched well in his six starts.  With two outs in the first, Garcia gave up a homer to Randy Arozarena. At the bottom of the second inning, Giancarlo Stanton stepped to the plate and took Glasnow for a long ball into the right-field porch tying up the game at one apiece.

Then in a very puzzling move, Garcia didn’t’ come out to pitch the second inning. Boone sent out J.A. Happ, his third starter.  Starters have a routine they go through; they are not used to being called in to relieve other starters.  From the go, it was apparent that Happ didn’t have it; He gave up two runs in the second and two runs in the third inning, before pulling him two outs later. At the top of the fourth the Yankees with two on base, Giancarlo Stanton hit his second home run, a three-run blast the put the Yankee back in the game. Rays 5, Yankees 4.

From then on, the Yankees fought to gain the lead, but it just didn’t happen as the Yankees burned out their bullpen using six pitchers on the night, in a failed attempt to win a game 2. The Yankees lost 7-5. I don’t know if it was Aaron Boone, Kevin Cashman, or the analytics department, but the huge Gamble in strategy just plain failed.  If the New York Yankees lose the ALDS to the Ray, critics will look back on the gamble and point to it as the loss factor. Tyler Glasnow struck out 10 and took the win. Happ suffered the loss. Pete Fairbanks got the save for the Rays.

The only really good takeaway from the game was Giancarlo Stanton, who seems to be trying to carry the team on his back.  Yesterday I wrote an article on if Stanton could carry the team to a 28th World Championship. Last night it looked as, so that was the case.  Stanton had two homers in the game, one for 458′. Stanton has had at least a homer in each of his four postseason games.

Tonight at Petco Park, Masahiro Tanaka will take the mound at 7:10 pm EDT for the Yankees.  He will face the seasoned veteran Charlie Morton for the Rays. Tanaka will start the game tied in the ALDS with a blown-out bullpen to back him up.  The Yankees will need Tanaka to go deep into the game if they are going to have any chance of winning tonight’s game. The Yankees must win this game; they can’t afford another ugly night they endured last night.

 

 

 

Will the New York Yankees try to win or protect feelings in the playoffs?

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New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

Last week, I published an article on the New York Yankees’ dilemma at the catchers position. Gary Sanchez has been God awful this year while Kyle Higashioka has thrived in his current role. The Yankees starters have also pitched better with Higashioka behind the plate.

Yesterday, the Yankees wrapped up their 2020 regular season. They finished as the fifth seed in the AL and will be taking on the Cleveland Indians starting tomorrow night. A player who hasn’t seen much time over the last week was Kyle Higashioka.

The Yankees had a lot to play for over the last week. They came extremely close to dropping all the way to the eighth seed in the playoffs. After being red hot, the Yankees played Higashioka in two games while Sanchez played seven.

In those seven games, Sanchez went a whopping 2-20 a plate with seven strikeouts. Sanchez finished the regular season hitting an astonishing .147 for the Yankees. Sanchez became the only player in Major League history to hit at least 10 home runs and fail to hit above .150 for the year.

What the Yankees should do?

The writing is on the wall for what the New York Yankees need to do. Kyle Higashioka is going to likely start tomorrow because Gerrit Cole is on the mound. When Higashioka catches the Yankees‘ ace, his ERA is nearly 3 runs lower than it is with Gary Sanchez behind the plate.

However, Higashioka needs to be behind the plate for game 2 as well and the rest of the playoffs. Gary Sanchez hasn’t earned a damn thing this year, and the Yankees need to be playing for wins here and not protecting their sensitive catcher.

The New York Yankees haven’t been to or won a World Series in a decade. They need to put their best team on the field, and that team does not include Gary Sanchez right now. Not from an offensive perspective and especially a defensive perspective.

The Yankees have said that the catching position will be decided on a day-to-day basis in the playoffs. In reality, it should be much more simple. If you want to keep Gary Sanchez as your starter in 2021, I completely get it, and it makes sense.

However, there is no reason and no argument for Sanchez getting any playing time during the playoffs. Unless Boone has a side bet where he needs one of his guys to strikeout, ground into a double play or have a passed ball/”wild pitch”, Kyle Higashioka needs to be the starter for the Yankees in the playoffs.

Yankees’ Aaron Boone goes ballistic, gets ejected against Marlins

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

New York Yankees‘ manager Aaron Boone lost his composure and calmness on Friday night, as he was ejected from the game against the Miami Marlins for arguing balls and strikes.

Home plate umpire John Tumpane called a very controversial strike three on Aaron Judge on an extremely low pitch, which was very clearly a ball.

The Yankees’ skipper didn’t waste any words, even F-bombs, to express his feelings towards Tumpane once he saw a pattern with other hitters.

“Just because you f— kicked the first one don’t keep kicking it,” Boone said in his rant. He also said that the Marlins’ starter, Sandy Alcantara, has a good sinker, “and those are not f— strikes!”

You can see the pitch to Judge here (number 6):

And here is the one to Aaron Hicks that prompted Boone’s ejection:

Judge, the Yankees’ most dangerous slugger when healthy, has had this issue for virtually all of his career. Pitchers take advantage of the fact that umpires tend to call strikes on the low and away fastball or breaking ball, even if they are outside the zone according to the eye test (and Statcast.)

It is possible that Boone was trying to light a spark in the Yankees, who have dropped four of their last five and started Friday’s contest in the wrong foot, with starter J.A. Happ giving up a three-run bomb in the first innings.

Yankees’ Brian Cashman makes big Aaron Boone comparison

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman

Since Aaron Boone became the New York Yankees’ field manager in 2018, the team has never dipped below a .500 win-loss record. In a regular season, not affected by COVID-19, the Yankees have earned 100 wins or more. This abbreviated campaign has posed significant challenges for players and their conditioning. Boone has done his best to supplement injuries and deficiencies across the board, but sometimes things are more strenuous for no apparent reason.

In 2019, the Yankees dealt with a number of injuries, setting records for the number of players that hit the injured list. Nonetheless, they still recorded 103 wins without Giancarlo Stanton for virtually the entire season and Aaron Judge for 60 games. That doesn’t even include the loss of Luis Severino and an inconsistent starting rotation. Nonetheless, Boone willed his team to victory on an everyday basis, finishing with a .636 win-loss percentage.

The Yankees fought their way to the AL divisional series, in which they lost to the Houston Astros, thanks to their cheating ways. While Boone didn’t earn coach of the year, he certainly helped his team more than any other could’ve imagined. That is why general manager Brian Cashman believes he is the long-term field manager for the Yankees and expects him to be around for a long time.

Jon Heyman, MLB Network report, spoke with Brian Cashman on “Big Time Baseball,” stating:

“We’re about trying to have great players and great people, so we’re lucky about Aaron Boone … Obviously, we have a club option for him and certainly hope that we can have him for a long time,” Cashman said. “I had a chance to work with Torre for 10 years, Girardi for 10 years, and I’d love to be in a position that Aaron Boone could be here for a similar type of timeframe. I’d say he has a more likely chance to last more than me, because 10 years is a lot longer for me, I guess,” Cashman added, with a chuckle.

Cashman, who has been under fire many times during his career, has done everything in his power to help the Yankees succeed. Spending boatloads of cash on premium level players, no one can argue that he hasn’t done enough to put the Yankees in a position to win. Untimely injuries and inconsistencies have been their downfall, something he simply cannot control. However, Cashman compared Boone to Joe Girardi, who spent ten seasons as the Yankee manager.

Girardi had an illustrious career with the Bombers, spending most of his 40s and his early 50s leading them. Over ten years, he only broke 100 wins once in 2009, something the Yankees have done twice in three seasons with Boone, so far. He earned three 1st place finishes in the division and never dipped below fourth. Winning the World Series back in 2009, that has been Girardi’s trademark, something Boone has yet to accomplish but has plenty of time left to do.

Early on, the return on Boone seems to be solid, and with growing experience, he should only improve along with his team. He has made plenty of mistakes along the way, but Cashman believes he is the long-term future of the franchise.

New York Yankees: Kyle Higashioka or Gary Sanchez in the postseason?

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New York Yankees, Kyle Higashioka

Last night, the New York Yankees duo of Gerrit Cole and Kyle Higashioka continued to do their thing. It’s been noticed that Cole has pitched significantly better when Higashioka is behind the plate as opposed to Gary Sanchez.

So far this year, the Yankees ace had pitched eight games to Gary Sanchez with an ERA approaching four at 3.91. With Higashioka, Cole’s ERA is below one. Cole went 7 strong innings last night again only allowing one run from the Blue Jays in a victory.

I started thinking and looking back over the year. It’s not just Gerrit Cole who has pitched well to Higashioka. When Higashioka is behind the plate, the Yankees starters have pitched to a combine ERA of 2.61 in 14 starts. There is definitely something there with Higashioka.

Aaron Boone was asked about it yesterday and didn’t seem happy about the prospect of the Yankees backup catcher starting with Cole in game one of the playoffs. However, it’s not just about Higashioka catching Cole better, he’s just been better in every area than Gary Sanchez.

The Yankees Dilemma

The Yankees find themselves in an interesting position. Obviously, Higashioka is going to start game one of the playoffs to catch Gerrit Cole. But what about games two and three? Boone said that those would be Sanchez’s games, but are we going to ignore how much better Higgy has been?

Higashioka is hitting .273 this year with 4 home runs and 10 RBIs. He had another big night at the plate last night hitting a two run double that was inches from a home run. Gary Sanchez has been atrocious this year hitting .147.

Yes, Sanchez is supposed to be the Yankees star catcher, but in the postseason, your best team needs to be on the field. The reality is that Kyle Higashioka is better than Gary Sanchez right now. This is not about potential, this about play on the field.

Also, it’s not just about Cole and Higashioka’s relationship. J.A. Happ has pitched a lot better to Higashioka as well. Higashioka was behind the plate for Happ’s eight inning shutout performance against the Red Sox.

I understand where Boone is coming from, but Gary Sanchez hasn’t earned a starting spot this postseason. His offense has been terrible, he’s not been good behind the plate, and Higashioka has been better. He deserves that spot a lot more than Gary Sanchez.

New York Yankees’ Clint Frazier has earned his spot

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New York Yankees, Clint Frazier

Back at the trade deadline in 2016, New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman decided to sell. He traded Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs and received Gleyber Torres. Cashman also traded Andrew Miller for Justus Sheffield and Clint Frazier.

While Sheffield was traded later for James Paxton, the Yankees have held onto Frazier. The former fifth overall pick in the MLB draft showed so much promise, and has always been known for his legendary bat speed. However, Frazier struggled to get a chance.

Anytime the Yankees were at full strength, Frazier would be behind the eight ball in the outfield. Despite many fans wanting the Yankees to give him the left field job over veteran Brett Gardner, Boone would keep Frazier on the bench or they’d keep him in AAA.

In 2019, Frazier really impressed many with his performance on the field. For the Yankees in 69 games, Frazier hit .267 with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs. However, his defense left a lot to be desired. Well, Frazier is finally blooming into the player many thought he could be in 2020.

The Yankees New Left Fielder

I can’t imagine the feelings that Clint Frazier was having when the Yankees told him this week that he’d continue to start. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton were both coming back this week which in the past meant Frazier would be heading to the bench.

However, not this time. Instead, veteran Brett Gardner is the one that’s heading to the bench. The Yankees‘ Red Thunder is finally getting to start when the team is at full strength. This is something that couldn’t stop Frazier from smiling during his post-game interview yesterday.

“There was definitely a moment tonight when I was smiling under my mask in left field. To go out there with the team at full strength meant a lot to me,” Frazier said to the media. There is no doubt about it that Frazier has earned this spot.

Again, the Yankees have been talking about his offensive potential for the last couple of years, but his defense is what has really impressed me thus far. Although, his offensive numbers are tremendous this year. Clint Frazier is the starting left fielder for the New York Yankees, and that shouldn’t be changing anytime soon.

New York Yankees Analysis: Has Manager Aaron Boone worn out his usefulness with the Yankees?

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

Aaron Boone, the New York Yankees manager, has taken the Yankees to the postseason during both of his years as manager.  In 2018 he won 100 games, and in 2019, he won 103 games, but in both years, has failed to get the team into the World Series. Also, in 2018, he had injuries, in 2019, he had record injuries of players, something that has carried over to this year as well.  At the end of this season, Boone’s contract with the Yankees will be over.  The question is, is it time for the Yankees to move on from Boone and possibly look elsewhere for fresh blood to lead the team?

At the end of the 2017 season, when Joe Girardi brought the New York Yankees one game short of the World Series, Giradi’s contract was not renewed. It was later found out the the Houston Astros cheated in that ALCS, and may have cost the Yankees a World Series.  Girardi was let go primarily becuase he hadn’t won a World Series since 2009, and his agressive management style wasn’t appreciated by many of the “baby bombers.”

Joe Girardi’s and Aaron Boone‘s management style are very different.  Garardi was more of a boss and disiplinarian, whereas Boone, while being a leader wanted to be a friend to his players. Boone is not as demanding of his players, Girardi was very demanding, making them do constant running and stretching, when not in the batting cage or performing on field play drills.  Girardi’s 2017 season saw a healthy Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez, and all had an excellent season.  During Boone’s management the team has not been able to stay healthy.  The last two years have been the worst injury years in decades. How much of that is Aaron Boone’s fault is anyone’s guess.

The Yankee brass claimed that one of the main factors in his removal, beside his overbearingness was that he didn’t communicate well with the young players.  This was the same manager that brought a young Miami Marlins team, that nothing was expected of, to fourth place in the National League, and was named Manager of the Year in 2006. The first time a Manager of the Year was ever awarded to a manager of a fourth place team.

One would wonder how Joe Girardi, still being manager, would do with the likes of former MVP Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar, Andrew McCutchen, Luke Voit, Zack Britton, Tommy Kahnle, Adam Ottavino and DJ LeMahieu added to his team. Under Boone’s leadership, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have spent as much time on the IL as on the field, and he has been unable to keep catcher Gary Sanchez from crashing and burning, despite his home run ability.

In his third year as Yankee manager, Boone is not as well liked as he once was.  He has publicly pissed off three of his pitchers by pulling them from games they thought they could win, including new Yankee ace Gerrit Cole, who was visibly angered by Boone’s action.  Slugger Aaron Judge wasn’t happy when Boone would not allow him to go on day to day, when he said he was 100%.  In an unsual move for the mild and proper Judge, in  zoom interview, let it be known that he was not happy with Boone’s decision. J.A. Happ has publically called out Boone’s the the way he has or hasn’t handled his pitching starts.

Moving on to the 2020 season, the New York Yankee team hasn’t seemed to be energized, and lost it’s purpose at different points in the season.  It got to point, that if pitchers pitched well, hitters didn’t hit, and when they did hit the pitching failed.  Now coming off six straight wins and an enlivened lineup, the Yankees have a chance to, again go to the posteason.  Many fans wonder if the Yankees do get to the playoffs, how far they will go and if they will fail again, short of making a World Series appearance.

For Aaron Boone fans, this writer feels they have nothing to worry about. Boone’s contract will be renewed for another period, and the Yankees will not hold him responsible for the injuries or the team’s play.  They gave Girardi nine years, they will give Boone more than three. A big factor will be how Boone manages the team, if the team reaches the postseason, which now seems inevitable.

Should the Yankees decide not to renew Boone’s contract, there are several options out there.  Buck Showalter, David Cone, Jorge Posada all of which would manager with similar style to Joe Girardi. Two interesting possibilities would be catcher Erik Kratz, who who works very well with young players, and Rob Thompson who is with Joe Girardi, as his bench coach.  Thompson had served with the Yankees for nearly twenty years, and knows the organization inside and out.

 

If the playoffs started today, who would start game 3 for the New York Yankees?

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New York Yankees, J.A. Happ

After an extremely rough and depressing stretch, the New York Yankees finally look like themselves again. The bombers have won four straight games to pull within a half game of the second place Toronto Blue Jays.

A week ago, people were starting to wonder if the Yankees would even make the playoffs. Now, everything is starting to click for the Yankees from their hitting to their starting pitching and bullpen. Now, I’m starting to think about the playoffs and this Yankees rotation.

For the Yankees, the first two games are relatively easy choices. Gerrit Cole would obviously get the ball in game one, and likely Tanaka would get the ball in game two. However, game three isn’t very clear. Who would the Yankees start in a game 3 in the playoffs this year?

The Yankees Options?

Fortunately, the Yankees do have a few options for a third playoff game. If they were in a be in a do or die game three in the wild card round, Aaron Boone has three guys that he could look to for a solid start. None would probably give the Yankees fan base an extreme amount of confidence.

J.A. Happ

The first option would be the veteran lefty J.A. Happ. Happ has started six games this year for the Yankees and he’s pitched to a 1-2 record with a 4.31 ERA. Now, he has been much better over his last four starts. Happ has pitched to a 2.59 ERA since his August 16th start.

While Yankees fans aren’t extremely comfortable with Happ, he honestly might be the safest choice. He’s pitched in the playoffs, and when he’s on, you know what he’s going to give you. Given the experience, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Happ get the ball.

Jordan Montgomery

The next option would be the big lefty, Jordan Montgomery. There were high expectations for Montgomery entering the season given what he did as a rookie, but he’s seen a mixed bag of results so far in his 2020 campaign for the Yankees.

Montgomery has pitched to a 2-2 record with a 4.76 ERA in eight starts this year. Montgomery looked really good yesterday against the Orioles, but this comes just two starts after he couldn’t get out of the first against the Rays. Montgomery is a solid pitcher, but I’m not sure I’d trust him with the ball in a game 3.

Deivi Garcia

The final option for the Yankees would be the rookie, Deivi Garcia. I can honestly say that Garcia has far surpassed my expectations in his first three starts, Garcia has pitched to a 1-1 record with a 3.06 ERA.

His last start blew me away. With the Yankees sputtering, Garcia went out and pitched seven strong innings against the Blue Jays leading the Yankees to a win that snapped their losing streak. Garcia has proven that he belongs in the rotation. Would Boone give him the ball in a game 3 is the question.

The Yankees Decision?

I think that ultimately we are going to need to watch how these three pitch the rest of the season. If things ended today, I think that the Yankees would probably lean towards a rotation of Cole-Tanaka-Happ in the playoffs. While many would love to see Garcia get that start, I think Boone values the experience of Happ.

Yankees’ Jordan Montgomery shows clear frustration being pulled from game, Boone shoves finger in his chest

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New York Yankees, Jordan Montgomery

New York Yankees’ pitcher Jordan Montgomery had just finished a solid outing before manager Aaron Boone seemed to be distressed when pulling him from the game. In 5.2 innings pitched, Montogomery allowed just one run (unearned) on three hits. He fanned nine batters and issued just one walk.

Montgomery was only at 72 pitches when Boone came out to pull him from the game. It looked like Montgomery said something to Boone as he was walking up to the mound and then Boone put his pointer finger on Monty’s chest.

This could have either been a disagreement between Montgomery and Boone on why he’s being pulled from the game, or Boone could have been telling him to keep his head up despite the low pitch count.

Prior to this game, Montgomery was holding a 2-2 record and a 5.72 ERA through seven games started. In his last start, he only lasted 3.2 innings against the Blue Jays and the start prior, he lasted just .2 innings where he allowed four runs on five hits to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Fortunately, the Yankees pulled out the win in the end. Hot-hitting Luke Voit hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield which knocked in DJ LeMahieu for the winning run. The Yankees extended their winning streak to four games in a row and improved their record to 24-21. The Yanks are currently sitting in third place for the AL East, chasing the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox are sitting at the bottom of the standings.

Yankees’ Gio Urshela back on field today, Boone expects Urshela to be activated Tuesday

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New York Yankees, Gio Urshela

New York Yankees’ third basemen Gio Urshela has been on the 10-day injured list since September 4 with a bone spur in his right elbow. Manager Aaron Boone suggested on Thursday that he expected Urshela to be activated on Tuesday which means we could possibly see him back in the lineup by late next week.

After finding out that Urshela had no other issues beyond the bone spur, the club believes that this will just be a short IL stint and Urshela will be back to playing games once the ten days are up.

The 28-year-old is a big part of the Yankees’ lineup and especially the defense. He’s currently batting .272 on the year with six home runs and 23 runs batted in.

Miguel Andujar has been taking Urshela’s role in the lineup and DJ LeMahieu has been covering third base in the meantime.

Other key players that are struggling to stay off the injured list are Aaron Judge (calf), Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring), James Paxton (forearm), and Jonathan Loaisiga (undisclosed). Right-handed pitcher Luis Severino and reliever Tommy Kahnle are both out for the remainder of the year dealing with their own injuries. Gary Sanchez

The Yanks are no stranger to injuries, having set an MLB record the season prior for most players ever put on the injured list. It was especially important this season to avoid this same issue, however, the Yankees have found themselves in the same boat.

The Yankees will begin a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday where it’ll also be a doubleheader. Gerrit Cole is expected to pitch the first game.