2019 Yankees

Only DJ, Judge and Torres are hitting. I can understand not hitting Cole ... but their bullpen is not that great and the Yanks can't do anythign against ANY of their pitchers. Horrible! Unacceptable. Many players are getting themselves labeled as not big game players.


I agree with you 100% on that last statement Steve!

One of the ugliest and saddest games to watch last night in the history of Yankee playoff games for me. You felt the chokehold being firmly placed around their proverbial necks after Chapman walked Springer, All hope and optimism being squeezed out as Chapman threw that last pitch. At what point do you stop with ALL of the analytics and feast or famine approach and realize that mashing your way through the playoffs, unlike the regular season, JUST DOESN'T WORK! Great pitching will ALWAYS beat great hitting, especially the undisciplined, always trying to hit the long ball with a 120 mph exit velocity type. They couldn't hit with runners in scoring position, ALL of their runs with the exception of 1, came on home runs. The one run they did manage was on a bases loaded walk. Where are the analytic idiots to explain that?

They need a true ACE / STOPPER or two for 2020. They also need to consider moving on or trading Sanchez. For me, he has always been meh. He swings and misses way more during crunch time and hits meaningless hr's to mask it. The lineup needs to be overhauled in a way that it offers more contact, and less swing and miss types. Gap hitters, contact hitters. Put the ball in play and ANYTHING can happen. The DJ types are what the lineup needs to have more of. For me, Sanchez, Voit, Stanton, Encarnacion,and Gardner are all expendable in one way or another. The first three never do anything when it really matters, and Gardner, although a nice story, has really come back to earth last 2 months of the season. Stanton we know can't be moved, but man has he punk'd out for such a statuesque type of athlete. Encarnacio was atrocious, All he did was strike out.

I want the 1980's Cardinals, rallies, stolen bases, pitching, great D. Where does 103 wins and 306 home runs get you? Being eliminated AGAIN by the better built team. Analytics can't measure a players guts/their heart or desire to want to win and be clutch. Less is more, balance through a lineup, someone has to agree with me. Somewhere over the next few years one team will buy back into this approach and dominate. Nothing more irritating then an Altuve type ALWAYS getting on base and being a threat to run. Manufacture a run, all these little things matter and should be a consideration for Cashman and how he "fixes" yet again another flawed team he has built.

I hope Chapman opts out, guy always walks a fine line and can never have a clean inning.

Lots of questions that have to be answered.
 

Mr. Wiggley

But what do I know I'm a bad guy
I thought it was interesting how ARod gently killed the team for its approach and not so gently went after Sanchez and his horrible at bats.
He is really a baseball junkie and pointed out that in I believe 20 years only ONE team won without great pitching, KC Royals.
he has become to me at least a very good analyst.
 
I agree with you 100% on that last statement Steve!

One of the ugliest and saddest games to watch last night in the history of Yankee playoff games for me. You felt the chokehold being firmly placed around their proverbial necks after Chapman walked Springer, All hope and optimism being squeezed out as Chapman threw that last pitch. At what point do you stop with ALL of the analytics and feast or famine approach and realize that mashing your way through the playoffs, unlike the regular season, JUST DOESN'T WORK! Great pitching will ALWAYS beat great hitting, especially the undisciplined, always trying to hit the long ball with a 120 mph exit velocity type. They couldn't hit with runners in scoring position, ALL of their runs with the exception of 1, came on home runs. The one run they did manage was on a bases loaded walk. Where are the analytic idiots to explain that?

They need a true ACE / STOPPER or two for 2020. They also need to consider moving on or trading Sanchez. For me, he has always been meh. He swings and misses way more during crunch time and hits meaningless hr's to mask it. The lineup needs to be overhauled in a way that it offers more contact, and less swing and miss types. Gap hitters, contact hitters. Put the ball in play and ANYTHING can happen. The DJ types are what the lineup needs to have more of. For me, Sanchez, Voit, Stanton, Encarnacion,and Gardner are all expendable in one way or another. The first three never do anything when it really matters, and Gardner, although a nice story, has really come back to earth last 2 months of the season. Stanton we know can't be moved, but man has he punk'd out for such a statuesque type of athlete. Encarnacio was atrocious, All he did was strike out.

I want the 1980's Cardinals, rallies, stolen bases, pitching, great D. Where does 103 wins and 306 home runs get you? Being eliminated AGAIN by the better built team. Analytics can't measure a players guts/their heart or desire to want to win and be clutch. Less is more, balance through a lineup, someone has to agree with me. Somewhere over the next few years one team will buy back into this approach and dominate. Nothing more irritating then an Altuve type ALWAYS getting on base and being a threat to run. Manufacture a run, all these little things matter and should be a consideration for Cashman and how he "fixes" yet again another flawed team he has built.

I hope Chapman opts out, guy always walks a fine line and can never have a clean inning.

Lots of questions that have to be answered.
Great post. Thats why I posted the other day, they are a really good regular season team. I also agree with Billy, sometimes you have to tip your cap to the other team. Not only are they better, they played better.
 
As a Mets fan i am amazed by the criticism leveled at Brian Cashman. Do any of you really think he didn't attempt to pick up a quality starter before the trading deadline. I know that the Mets wanted andujar or torres plus at least 2 other prospects for either syndergaard or wheeler. What do you think the giants wanted for Bumgarner? And on top of that you have the nerve to criticize their bullpen which is acknowledged to be the deepest in all of baseball!?
Why don't you just congratulate them on a 103 victory season? And adopt a motto used by fans of 27 other teams whose season is over: Wait til Next Year!
 
It was a good series. Both teams had guys who under performed. The Astros were so good defensively, taking runs away from the Yankees on numerous occasions. I would have liked to see our starters go deeper into games, but that's who we were this year.

Only fitting that DJ hits the home run to tie in in the 9th. He's deserving of the MVP.

Outside of getting Cole, I don't see how this team improves their roster next year.
 
As a Mets fan i am amazed by the criticism leveled at Brian Cashman. Do any of you really think he didn't attempt to pick up a quality starter before the trading deadline. I know that the Mets wanted andujar or torres plus at least 2 other prospects for either syndergaard or wheeler. What do you think the giants wanted for Bumgarner? And on top of that you have the nerve to criticize their bullpen which is acknowledged to be the deepest in all of baseball!?
Why don't you just congratulate them on a 103 victory season? And adopt a motto used by fans of 27 other teams whose season is over: Wait til Next Year!
Because when you have the money and the resources he has, there can be no excuses. He has missed on SO MANY pitchers either via trade or free agency. I think the Steinbrenner's have made it too easy on him and he needs to be held accountable at some point. A decade with no title and one of the highest payrolls in baseball is laughable. Steinbrenner's need to turn up the heat on him a bit and put his feet to the fire. He was the up and comer 20 years ago when Watson was the GM, but Stick basically built those teams with Buck via the draft, not Cashman. If you look at his entire body of work, and consider the resources at his disposal, he really is underperforming.

No, he doesn't throw the pitches or take the at bats, but he choose and decides who does. For a decade now, they have not performed to a championship level. He hasn't made the the majority of the right choices regarding the roster to get them to a championship level for a decade. It's easy to sign the no brainers, and have tons of money to fix problems, but if you do, you better get it right. I don't feel he has. I am not saying they should have traded their prospects away at the deadline for stop gaps and over pay. I agree with him on that, but the overall roster roundout hasn't equated to a title. For THIS Yankee fan, thats a failure. Houston was the better team, they went out and got Verlander two years ago, they got Cole last year. You can't keep all your prospects. Would we have beaten Houston had we had Cole, I would have ventured to say yes to that. We Def would have had home field. But Cash wouldn't pull the trigger, sometimes you have to overpay to get it done if you want it that bad.
 
It was a good series. Both teams had guys who under performed. The Astros were so good defensively, taking runs away from the Yankees on numerous occasions. I would have liked to see our starters go deeper into games, but that's who we were this year.

Only fitting that DJ hits the home run to tie in in the 9th. He's deserving of the MVP.

Outside of getting Cole, I don't see how this team improves their roster next year.
Cole is NOT coming to NY. My hope is Strasburg opts out and maybe we sign him. But we don't have a history of dealing with Boras, his agent.
 
Tough watching that gut punch last night after the DJ HR. Tip of the cap to the Stros, who were the better team.

As has been said, the Yankees starting pitching, the glaring weakness since the start of the off season, was not sufficiently addressed. The last time they won a World Series, they spent big in the off-season on two pitchers who helped carry them to that championship. With the team in Win Now mode, it was sad not to see the Yankees spend a bit more to shore up the rotation. Hopefully that changes this off-season, or Cashman is able to make some trades to aquire something of value in that department.

While the SP came up short a couple of times in the ALCS, our ability to hit in the clutch pulled a disappearing act. After leading the league in hitting with RISP during the regular season, the Yankees went 6-for-35 in such situations against Houston. Some of that you credit to Houston's pitching and their ability to get out of jams. But after the same failures again Boston last year, it's frustrating to see those same failures plague the offense in the ALCS this year.

Good pitching almost always beats good hitting in the playoffs. Hopefully next year the Yankees have more of the former to help keep them in games when the latter is faltering.
 

billyS

Reign of Terror
@NINE-LIVES hindsight is always 20/20.
The year before Houston got Coles he was 12-12 with an ERA over 4. The Pirates wanted Andujar and Frazier to start. They took a significant less package from Houston.
In hindsight yeah, of course I'd do that now but it didn't seem like a good deal then.
Also Houston fixed Cole. Would the Yankees have?
Same with Verlander. He wasn't pitching that well with Detroit when Houston got him plus he had a few years at over 30 million left on his contact. That was the year Cashman was under orders to get under the Luxury Tax
Truth is at that time the Yankees luxury tax was higher than some teams payroll. Steinbrenner was sick of seeing his money go to other teams so they could get the players they want.
 
Again, they weren't really going with who brought them. Stanton, Judge, Encarnacion, Sanchez weren't part of the hitting team who carried them through the season of injuries and wrapping up the division basically in the summer, as well as their ace being disqualified from the post season.
 

billyS

Reign of Terror
Again, they weren't really going with who brought them. Stanton, Judge, Encarnacion, Sanchez weren't part of the hitting team who carried them through the season of injuries and wrapping up the division basically in the summer, as well as their ace being disqualified from the post season.
So you wanted to play Ford, Maybien and Romine?
 
our ability to hit in the clutch pulled a disappearing act. After leading the league in hitting with RISP during the regular season, the Yankees went 6-for-35 in such situations against Houston.
And this in a nut shell is the reason why the Yankees lost the series. The Yankees had more hits, home runs, doubles, walks,etc. The Astros outscored the Yanks 22-21 over the six games. Additionally, Houston's defense came up big.
 
Given the ridiculous amount of injuries this year, they came pretty damn close.
You know as well as I do, as true Yankee Fans, we measure our/their success in championships, not playoff appearences.
If we are the Minnesota Twins, "Great Year!" but we're not. Close to 2 Billion dollars spent on free agents in this past decade of disappointment. Great article in the Wall Street Journal if any of you want a good read.

With that being said, hoping the hot stove leads to some great signings and a few more DJ types, and with any luck Santa will bring us a shiny new Cole and or Strasburg to play with.
 
OK ... some BIG clarifications are needed. NUMBER ONE: Houston was about the same team as the Yankees. They were not the better team. That is a lame statement meant to take some blame off the losers as if they just weren't good enough. Are you going to sit there and tell me that stud players like Encarnacion, Stanton, Sanchez, and good players like Gardy ... these guys ... you want to tell me that they won't hit Cole??? FINE... They lost to Cole .. I tip my cap to Cole. Cole is one of the best pitchers in the game showing guts and skill. DO NOT TELL ME THAT THESE YANKEES CAN'T HIT THE REST OF THAT HOUSTON STAFF. Their bullpen is not GREAT!!!!! The Yankees big players came up SMALL in the big moments. THAT ... THAT ... THAT is why they lost. Not because Houston was the better team ... but because the Yankees CHOKED and did not hit AT ALL. These guys had one or two hits for the WHOLE SERIES!!!!!! ENOUGH!!!! The Yankee pitching was GOOD ENOUGH ... not great ... but good enough to win this series. The Yankees scored one less run over 6 games. The Yankees have quite a few players who have shown who they are. Stanton is an IMMENSE PUSSY who can't hit when it counts. Encarnacion looked AWFUL. Sanchez AWFUL, Gardy (who I love) are NOT big game players. Didi was also not as good as he could have been.

SO .... WHAT DO THEY DO???? Well #1: Let Encarnacio go and give him his $5 mill buyout. He sucks and we need the DH spot for that delicate pussy Stanton. You have to keep Sanchez. He doesn't cost us anything and he can't be worse in the playoffs next year. Maybe he is hurt. The team basically stays the same. We have to sign an ace pitcher. I say overpay Cole to be a Yankee .... but if California wants to pay him $40 mill for 10 years he can go. If it costs $30 mill for 6 years - PAY IT! With a rotation next year of Cole, Severino, Paxton, Tanaka and German - we are a BIG favorite. I also say sign Didi if you can. Voit plays 1B, Urshella plays 3B - you trade Andujar. I like Gardy but he is gettiong old. HIcks (another pussy who gets hurt way too much) plays CF and I say play Tauchman everyday in LF.

Yankees look good for next year. Put Cole on the Yankees and take him off HOuston - Houston doesn't even make the playoffs and the Yankees are favorites to win it all.
 

billyS

Reign of Terror
OK ... some BIG clarifications are needed. NUMBER ONE: Houston was about the same team as the Yankees. They were not the better team. That is a lame statement meant to take some blame off the losers as if they just weren't good enough. Are you going to sit there and tell me that stud players like Encarnacion, Stanton, Sanchez, and good players like Gardy ... these guys ... you want to tell me that they won't hit Cole??? FINE... They lost to Cole .. I tip my cap to Cole. Cole is one of the best pitchers in the game showing guts and skill. DO NOT TELL ME THAT THESE YANKEES CAN'T HIT THE REST OF THAT HOUSTON STAFF. Their bullpen is not GREAT!!!!! The Yankees big players came up SMALL in the big moments. THAT ... THAT ... THAT is why they lost. Not because Houston was the better team ... but because the Yankees CHOKED and did not hit AT ALL. These guys had one or two hits for the WHOLE SERIES!!!!!! ENOUGH!!!! The Yankee pitching was GOOD ENOUGH ... not great ... but good enough to win this series. The Yankees scored one less run over 6 games. The Yankees have quite a few players who have shown who they are. Stanton is an IMMENSE PUSSY who can't hit when it counts. Encarnacion looked AWFUL. Sanchez AWFUL, Gardy (who I love) are NOT big game players. Didi was also not as good as he could have been.

SO .... WHAT DO THEY DO???? Well #1: Let Encarnacio go and give him his $5 mill buyout. He sucks and we need the DH spot for that delicate pussy Stanton. You have to keep Sanchez. He doesn't cost us anything and he can't be worse in the playoffs next year. Maybe he is hurt. The team basically stays the same. We have to sign an ace pitcher. I say overpay Cole to be a Yankee .... but if California wants to pay him $40 mill for 10 years he can go. If it costs $30 mill for 6 years - PAY IT! With a rotation next year of Cole, Severino, Paxton, Tanaka and German - we are a BIG favorite. I also say sign Didi if you can. Voit plays 1B, Urshella plays 3B - you trade Andujar. I like Gardy but he is gettiong old. HIcks (another pussy who gets hurt way too much) plays CF and I say play Tauchman everyday in LF.

Yankees look good for next year. Put Cole on the Yankees and take him off HOuston - Houston doesn't even make the playoffs and the Yankees are favorites to win it all.
Um, Steve, what about DJ?
You have an infield of Voit Gleyber, Didi and Urshela, you have Stanton at DH
Are you releasing DJ?
 
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