September 19, 2024

32 thoughts on “Yankees.com: The Crotch Self-Punching Continues, Presumably Will Never Stop”

  1. The combination of using DJLM for hundreds of at bats and Clay Holmes as the closer are among the two most assinine decisions I’ve ever witnessed as a Yankee fan. Ok there are have been others – like Vernon Wells and Aaron hicks…but in combination? Deadly!

    That the GM didn’t fix any of this (add in LF) at the deadline proves this isn’t a team that actually wants to win a WS. And if they don’t care, why should I?

    1. I don’t think there was a realistic fix at the deadline for a closer. Carlos Estevez and Tanner Scott aren’t even particularly good closers, and they both cost TOP prospects. Heck, the Yankees don’t even HAVE the level of pitching prospect that the Angels got for Estevez. I don’t think it was a bad decision to not trade Spencer Jones for Tanner Scott, and that’s what it would have taken.

      As for first base, at the time of the deadline, Ben Rice had a .746 OPS, and Rizzo was going to eventually come back, and it wasn’t like there was some stud first baseman out there.

      Jazz, meanwhile, has been an AMAZING addition to the team. If it weren’t for Mark Leiter deciding to pitch like shit (and after a very good start to his Yankee career, as well), I think their trade deadline would have made sense. However, Leiter HAS pitched like shit, so that part of the deadline has not worked out at all (Jack Neely, by the way, has also been terrible for the Cubs, so that’s something at least).

  2. Trevino and Volpe played well and Jazz is one of the better things about this team going into the playoffs. Verdugo went 1-4, so he’s starting every day until they’re eliminated in the playoffs.

    Judge’s K-rate is pushing 40% (and getting worse) over his last week or so with a .582 OPS. I get that he’s been awesome all season and a few bad weeks here and there are expected, but it’s September playoff race baseball. I was afraid that pitchers wouldn’t throw him ANY strikes, but they apparently are and he’s missing those AND chasing stuff away. Since the White Sox series, Soto has a .653 OPS and a .188 BABIP.

    Closers are overrated. The Yankees should have traded “All-Star Closer” Clay Holmes at the break for a handful of power arms to turn into closers by committee.

    1. Yeah, I agree that it is maddening to see Soto choose NOW, of all times, to have one of his patented long ass slumps. It’s part of his game, he has them every year, but boy, did he choose a fucking awful time to have one. That Judge has decided to ALSO slump at the SAME FUCKING TIME is absolutely BRUTAL.

      They would have likely won the Cardinals series, and they definitely would have won this game, if Judge and Soto were just DECENT instead of absolute dog shit.

  3. Their blather means nothing, analyzing it is a waste of neurons. All they do is support each other publicly, that tells us nothing about what they really think or what they’re actually going to do.
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    Clay Holmes may have single-handedly cost this team the division and/or a bye. It’s mystifying. Okay, they made him the closer for a while, but it’s not like he was ever one of the game’s great closers – they act as if he deserves/requires Mariano/Greg Gagne(j/k, remember)/Bruce Sutter treatment. He was closing, he’s not anymore, why are they inventing a sacred cow and making this a big deal?
    _
    Answer: because you can’t say anything about any player except “he’s fantastic, we need him, he’s the best, it’s just a rough patch, it doesn’t require consequences.” That’s the language they’ve adopted. Which takes us back to the beginning of this beautifully circular post!

  7. Last August Holmes had an8 era. When he’s bad he’s hopeless. I think each of the last 2 seasons he was temporarily removed from the closer role, but it’s not like he can’t do damage in the 7.

    If for no other reason then he wasn’t throwing strikes he should’ve been removed with the bases loaded. Cone also made the point that he needed a mound visit before he actually got one.

    Holmes has a WHIP of 1.327 for the season which is unacceptable for a late inning reliever. David Robertson is 1.117, Clase is 0.668. On the Yankees Kahnle is 1.167, Cousins is 1.030

    1. Agreed, it’s just utter nonsense. I sadly think that a lot of it was in those times, he had “proven” veterans to take over from Holmes, so it was less of a blow to his ego. When Jake Cousins gets your job, it is more embarrassing.

    2. Because you can’t let your players be embarrassed by – actual failure on the field.

  8. Let’s say Yankees back into a wild card and are eliminated before the championship round, does Boone get fired? Not should but does. Same but Yankees win division?
    What if they get to the ALCS and lose? Win?

    Hal needs a personal advisor with no connections to Boone, Cashman or Levine. The whole operation is too inbred.

    2. From the outside, it looks like there’s a ton of group think. They aren’t stupid, but when things don’t work out as designed, it’s always process over results instead of adapting/adjusting and learning from what didn’t work. And they are so stubborn about it to the point where it seems like not only are they resistant to outside ideas/opinions, but openly and aggressively dismissive or even antagonistic to them. I mean, look at their “audit…”

      On one hand, this is a team that is almost always competitive. On the other, they’ve spent more money than every other team over the past 20+ years and don’t have much to show for it. At what point does a process they believe is good trump real world results?

      Also, Boone is stupid. Indescribably so.

    3. If Boone wasn’t Cashman’s “guy” after a very public fight for control over being ALLOWED to install “his” guy over Girardi, then Boone would have been fired years ago. Cashman’s ego won’t give up “his” guy.

    1. I would have dumped Stroman, but they want a lefty in the pen. I get it. Outside of a terrible July, and his last start, Nestor has been OK to pretty good. Stroman puts too many guys on base and he’s been pretty lucky he hasn’t been shelled harder than he has been. His xERA is a full run higher than his actual.

    1. Right. Among the available bodies Schmidt would probably be the best candidate assuming he’s actually healthy.

    2. Nestor coming in after Cole or Gil might throw batter’s timing off. First two innings hitters hit 220 against him, next 4 around 280 (next 3 around 300, his numbers in the 6th are better probably because if he’s still in in the 6th he’s been pitching well)

  14. Holmes ERA since June 1 is 4.70. You’d think 3 months of crap would be enough to get demoted, but no let’s try him again!

    Holmes 3 away from the all time single season blown save record; I think he can do it! I’m assuming he already has the Yankee record.

  16. Curry Boone said the Yankees will get “creative” with the closer role in the short term. He said Holmes could still be in the mix. I don’t think Boone wants to publicly say Holmes has lost his job, even temporarily. Expect the Yankees to go with matchups for foreseeable future.

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