The Yankees have a great offense, there is no doubt about that. They walk the most, they've hit the most homers, and they lead the league in runs scored, but can they be better? Is there an area of the Yankees offense that has room for improvement? Well, the answer to that is yes, and it's situational hitting.
How many times have the Yankees gotten the leadoff man on only to have him remain stranded at first while batter after batter comes to the plate swinging for the fences? How many runners have been left stranded at third after getting there with less than two out?
Right now the Yankees are tied for 11th in baseball with a .264 batting average with RISP. They also rank 11th with a .271 average with men on base. Looking into this further we see that with RISP and two out they drop to 13th with a .243 average, and with the bases loaded they drop even further to 22nd with a .257 average. On the bright side, they are second in baseball with nobody on with a .279 average.
If you're wondering the Red Sox rank 3rd in baseball with RISP, 3rd with RISP and two out, and 7th with men on. The Angels rank 1st with men on, 2nd with RISP, and 1st with RISP and two out.
Could that be why those two teams keep finding ways to beat us?
One of the main reasons the Yankees are struggling so much in these areas is the struggles of five of their regulars. Melky Cabrera (.250), Mark Teixeira (.243), Hideki Matsui (.238), Nick Swisher (.211) and Robinson Cano (.200) are all hitting .250 or worse with RISP, and have struggling in the other splits mentioned above. There is no reason why a players' average with RISP should be any lower than their overall average, and each of them must show improvement in this area in the second half.
Besides that I really can't figure out why this team has had problems in this area. The lineup is full of very good hitters who should really have no problems hitting with men on base, but for some reason it seems like they do. Is it their approach? Is it bad coaching? Is it a lineup full of players who hold their bats too tightly when the pressure is on? Again, I'm not really sure, but what I do know is that a few more hits with RISP here and there can win you a few games, and those few games can be the difference between making it to the playoffs or going home early.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
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2 Comments:
to many strike outs - not enough willingness to put the ball in play - shorten the stroke with two strikes.
wonder how much yanks will have to pay slary wise now so players can pay the obama/NY state /NY city taxes/healthcare taxes etc, etc. It will definitely become an issue
Good question. Whenever you see the bases loaded with none or one out, you hear the commentators talk about the pitcher being under pressure. But, of course, the hitters are also under pressure not to waste a scoring opportunity, especially when their team is behind in the game. I think this is one of our weakest areas. We all know that A-Rod is no great clutch hitter but, as highlighted by your stats, he is not the only one. Cano has been dreadful with RISP in the first half of the season and Tex hasn't been too good either. Cano and, dare I say it, Jeter have this horrible habit of grounding into a double play. There's a pressure that comes with being a New York Yankee that you have to deal with. The great players are the ones who produce when it matters most. We don't seem to be good at handling this pressure and this could be a reason why we also have such a bad record against the better teams (ie the Red Sox and Angels). One thing's for sure. It has to improve in the second half if we're to make the playoffs.
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