The Yankees have had an up and down start to the season, but many fans need to realize there are several reasons to stay calm.
When anything goes south for the New York Yankees, it is magnified times 100. There’s no team in the world of sports with a more significant following and no matter if it’s April or October panic sets in when the team loses.
Though the Yankees have played better baseball of late their are plenty of fans upset with their .500 start to the season.
Many arguments for these people being upset are massive overreactions. Here are three that stand out.
Brett Gardner must be dropped in the lineup
Brett Gardner surely won some fans over with his grand slam to push the Yankees past the Boston Red Sox Wednesday night however his slow start has lead to fans calling for him to be dropped in the lineup.
These fans got their wish for a few games as DJ Lemahieu lead off, and Gardner batted sixth. However, fans should not want Gardner batting anywhere but leadoff until Aaron Hicks returns.
Garner provides some of the best at-bats in baseball. Remember the 2017 ALDS? Gardner’s 12 pitch at-bat off of Indians closer Cody Allen led to a run-scoring single that clinched the series for the Bombers.
Even though he hasn’t had the most success this season, he will almost always provide a professional at-bat that drives a pitchers pitch count up. What more could one want from their leadoff hitter?
J.A. Happ wasn’t worth the money
Yes, outside of his final four innings of his Wednesday night start against the Boston Red Sox J.A. Happ has frankly stunk.
His ERA sits at 7.23; he was slapped around twice by the Orioles and gave up six runs to the White Sox.
However, it’s way too early to say the contract was a bad move by Brian Cashman. Happ is a veteran who has made a carer off of eating innings and keeping the game close enough for where the bullpen can close things out and wrap up a win.
He isn’t and will never be the pitcher with an ERA in the low three’s, and that’s okay. He’s going to eat innings and keep the game close like he did Wednesday more times than not and that’s what you want from a number three starter.
Fire Aaron Boone
Yankees fans have the right to be frustrated with Aaron Boone. He’s analytically centered, doesn’t believe in “hot”, makes questionable decisions with the bullpen and makes a lot of excuses when the team loses.
However, after one season and not even a full month the Yankees would be insane to let Boone go. No organization is better at finding managers than the New York Yankees.
Boone is just the third Yankee skipper since 1996 as both Joe Torre and Joe Girardi proved to be home run hires.
The Yankees value Boone’s ability to relate with players, baseball mind and character. That’s why he won the job over some coaches and former managers who have been in the dugout for years. He’s still just in his second season managing after years of TV. Have some patience and faith in Brian Cashman and the Steinbrenner’s who are proven to be excellent at selecting skippers.
Yes. This needs to be Gardy’s final season. And definitely Boone needs to go. Also Cashman needs to go. The Yankees haven’t won anything in so many years it’s pathetic for such a storied franchise. Cashman should go even before Boone and Gardy. Also, the Yankees need to stop making excuses for Fatchez and talking about his terrific potential. He’s a bad ballplayer that they coddled from the minor leagues. Perhaps trading him to another team will wake up his potential.
This was from April of the 2019 season.