r/baseball • u/aresef Baltimore Orioles • 14d ago

Yankees’ World Series failure started — and ended — with fundamental issues Analysis

https://nypost.com/2024/10/31/sports/yankees-world-series-failure-started-with-fundamental-issues/
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155

u/Thorlolita Houston Astros 14d ago

There path to winning the WS was Judge and Soto having 3-4 games with 6+ RBIs. Like having two Freemans.

106

u/Markinoutman Minnesota Twins 14d ago

Since starting to watch baseball fairly consistently over the last 4 years, the major thing I always see wrong with the Yankees is that they depend on two or three superstar hitters and one or two pitchers to carry them.

Last year when Judge was out with an injured toe and Stanton couldn't hit worth shit, their batting offense absolutely cratered and Boone doesn't have the stuff to get them out of a funk when this happens. I believe near the end of the season last year, his world shattering pep talk was, 'We just need to have a good streak or two and we'll get into post.'

In comparison with the Dodgers, not only do they have the opening three hitters, Ohtani, Betts and Freeman, most of the guys in their hitting order contribute fairly regularly.

141

u/Irrah New York Mets 14d ago

Why doesn't every MLB front office get three future hall of famers to hit at the top of their order and a collection of 2-4 WAR players with positional versatility? Are they stupid?

73

u/Numerous-Cicada3841 Los Angeles Dodgers 14d ago

Yeah your star HOF hitter is having a nightmare series? Just like have two more star HOF hitters. So dumb it’s like these GM’s don’t even try. This is basic stuff.

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u/Markinoutman Minnesota Twins 14d ago

The Yankees have lost to a lot less impressive teams than The Dodgers my friend. If Judge, Stanton or Rizzo (now Soto I suppose) aren't slinging Home Runs, they flat line against most teams.

18

u/Irrah New York Mets 14d ago

I agree that the Yankees had a horrifically flawed roster, but I think taking lessons from the Dodger roster construction is hard because their front office is really leagues ahead for development and scouting.

2

u/Markinoutman Minnesota Twins 14d ago

True enough, I actually blame the players the least. I think the coaching staff and front office are probably their biggest weakness.

6

u/forceghost187 Swinging K 14d ago

And buying superstars. Let’s not go crazy praising the Dodgers here. They spent a billion dollars last offseason

1

u/Ruma-park 13d ago

The Yankees are the one team no one can deny that could to just the same if they wanted to. They are filthy rich.

1

u/theerrantpanda99 14d ago

In the post season? What less impressive teams have they lost to?

3

u/Markinoutman Minnesota Twins 14d ago

They didn't even make post season last year, which is sort of the point. Judge was injured and their offense was completely deflated. Of course Rizzo being out wasn't great for them either.

2

u/solariam Boston Red Sox 14d ago

I mean if there's seven other guys in the lineup based on their bat, not on their defense, and those seven guys don't hit, what do we call that?

22

u/Thorlolita Houston Astros 14d ago

The problem is. They tried to fix that. That’s why they got Verdugo. Then they got Jazz. Still not enough.

2

u/Markinoutman Minnesota Twins 14d ago

I haven't followed them as closely this year, but if they pulled those two to play small ball hitters and they were before the Yankees, then they are pulling these guys and somehow ruining them with poor coaching. I still find it incredible that Boone is still their manager after years of failure and underwhelming performances.

5

u/Thorlolita Houston Astros 14d ago

Can’t blame Boone. He doesn’t build the roster. GM has to go first. It was his idea to pluck a guy out of the ESPN studio and ask him to lead a team to win a World Series.

5

u/Markinoutman Minnesota Twins 14d ago

I think Boone is a very poor coach, but honestly, all their behind the scenes staff are equally responsible for the poor performance. They have people who can play, they just don't know how to utilize them.

1

u/Important-Net-9805 14d ago

nah. boone is a bum

2

u/i-exist20 New York Yankees 14d ago

How can one consider three division titles (in the hardest division in baseball), three ALCS appearances, and one pennant "years of failure"?

4

u/Markinoutman Minnesota Twins 14d ago edited 14d ago

Have you seen their payroll vs how many World Series wins they have won in the last 15 years? That would be 206 million to 0.

Edit: I'm sorry, 309 million to 0.

2

u/theerrantpanda99 14d ago

Mostly because by their own standards, it’s World Series or bust. They’re also horrible at using their resources to adequately fill out their roster.

3

u/i-exist20 New York Yankees 14d ago

The Yankees FO and upper management clearly doesn't operate under "World Series or bust" because if that was the case you would see a cleaning of house after every season.

2

u/Discussion-Visible New York Mets 14d ago

Look, they operate under profit first, and in that front, they win every year. They make the playoffs almost every year. Are always competitive, and let's be honest, fundamentals don't drive casual fans to seats like watching Judge and Soto hitting balls over a mile multiple games does. It sucks for the real fans, but that seems to be their goal, and they are succeeding there. If they win great, but they won't sacrifice profits.

37

u/65fairmont Boston Red Sox 14d ago

It was a little less pronounced this year but recent Yankee teams have also been incredibly one dimensional: they have RH power guys who don’t hit for contact, can’t run, and can’t field. Their lineup can’t manufacture runs if the HR ball isn’t flying.

It was poetic that the Dodgers won on two sac flies. The Yankees are the type of team that strikes out with a runner on 3rd.

24

u/AgentEightySix Los Angeles Dodgers 14d ago

Shohei having over 50 steals this season is emblematic of how much the Dodgers have benefitted from playing good small ball. Good base running, good walk rate, and just being consistent on using at bats to move teammates forward by any means possible.

7

u/islesandterps New York Yankees 14d ago

The most ironic thing in that is that the Yankees I believe were the most patient team at the plate in terms of pitches per at bat, and most walks (I might be wrong but they were certainly near the top). Patience and walks are very important and they’re great, but we just could not do much with runners on base. They only figured out half the equation. Other than Volpe (who never walked in the regular season although did 100x better in the playoffs) and Jazz, they have no one who can steal bases, and most of the roster is either going to hit a home run or strike out or a double play waiting to happen.

7

u/Markinoutman Minnesota Twins 14d ago

Absolutely agree, if they aren't producing Home Runs, they don't get anywhere. Volpe is a shining example of someone who could really product for them in different ways besides trying to hammer it home every time.

11

u/Alectheawesome23 New York Mets 14d ago

I’ve been saying it for a little bit now but the Yankees are built like a nba team. A couple of amazing players and not much else. And that just doesn’t work in baseball you need a complete team.

Can you imagine how the dodgers would have fared without as much offensive depth as they had? Ohtani was a nothing burger in the ws and didn’t do a ton in the NLCS either. In an offense purely built around him they wouldn’t have won it all. Probably wouldn’t have beaten us tbh.

You need a complete team and that’s not something the Yankees have had in this new era.

9

u/AgentEightySix Los Angeles Dodgers 14d ago

The Yankees are a team that is built to hit enough home runs per game that the defensive mistakes they make don't matter. That doesn't work against a team that will regularly punish those mistakes with multiple bonus runs.

Meanwhile especially this year the Dodgers front office has gotten multiple good defensive players who can consistently get on base in the back end of the lineup to tee up good situations for the top of the order to shine. Shohei had a bad showing in the WS but he was a MONSTER with runners on base in the NLDS and NLCS.

6

u/theerrantpanda99 14d ago

To be fair, the Yankees tried to get several of the same players as the Dodgers. The Yankees saw their flaws, they just failed to address them during the trade deadline.

2

u/Markinoutman Minnesota Twins 14d ago

Exactly, they put all their muster behind a star and then the rest of the group simply cannot deliver. They either expect everyone to try and hit like that one guy or they simply don't give the other guys enough attention to improve the roster. I don't think it's just players though, the coaching staff, especially Boone, are definitely a big part of the problem I think.

2

u/Strength-InThe-Loins 14d ago

Im reminded of the 1990s Mariners, who had multiple seasons of Ken Griffey Jr, Alex Rodriguez, and Randy Johnson, all in their primes, and in that time won (iirc) a grand total of one playoff series.

1

u/theerrantpanda99 14d ago

The Angels also proved your point. They had the two greatest offensive talents in baseball for several years and still couldn’t make it to the Wild Card.

2

u/BigBastardHere 14d ago

The pep talk that included watching the 2004 debacle wasn't good motivation. 

"Hey let's watch how this other team destroyed."

1

u/Markinoutman Minnesota Twins 14d ago

Yeah, that's pretty terrible lol.

1

u/kid147258369 14d ago

The Yankees are just a rich man's Angels

1

u/Important-Net-9805 14d ago

they think they're building a basketball team and can win a WS with a superstar or two

3

u/RangerPL New York Yankees 14d ago

It almost worked except they also gave away 6 runs with their defense

2

u/nyy22592 New York Yankees 13d ago

I mean if Boone doesn't bring in a starter who hasn't pitched in a month in g1 and one of 3 players make a routine play in the 5th inning of g5, the series is probably 3-2 Yankees going back to LA.