The Yankees are 10 games into their 2022 season and the early results have eerily mirrored the way the team looked a year ago. If you squint hard enough, you can actually see the 2021 Yankees taking the field in 2022, with final results still unfulfilling. Fans were sold on the idea that minor moves to reshuffle the deck would equate to a noticeable improvement. So far it seems fans have been hoodwinked
New York is 5-5, winning a series against the Red Sox, splitting against the Blue Jays, and losing a series to the Orioles. The definition of an average baseball team.
So far, the pitching has been (mostly) stellar, but the bats have been largely sluggish. They hold the American League’s best team era yet ranked 14th in the A.L in offense. Not very “Bronx Bomber” of them.
April baseball presents a dilemma every year: Results in the early season are meaningful but not necessarily representative. With so few at-bats taken and innings pitched, it becomes easy to overreact to every streak or slump as they’re not set against a context of a larger sample of results across the season.
The samples are small and not necessarily illustrative of how a player will perform a week or a month later into the season. But at the end of the year, two losses against the Baltimore Orioles will count all the same. And in a division that will be a dog fight between 4 teams to finish atop, dominating the Orioles will be a deciding factor.
“I don’t get too emotional over a few games where you can start beating the drum a certain way,” manager Aaron Boone said after Sunday’s loss in Baltimore. “I am confident in this offense that we’ll be what we should be. “
Let’s take a look at early season results for the Yankees offense: 229/.311/.366, 10 HR, 30 R
So far, DJ LeMahieu has been the team’s best hitter, slashing .321/.424/.500 in 33 plate appearances. It is a good sign that DJ appears to be his old self. The Yankees win when he is productive. But a number of slow starts have put a damper on DJ’s good start. The slowest starts have come from Gleyber Torres (.551 OPS), Josh Donaldson (.581 OPS), Isaiah Kiner-Falefa (.552 OPS) and Joey Gallo (.424 OPS).
| PLAYER | PA | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Kyle Higashioka
|
25
|
.120
|
.120
|
.160
|
.280
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
|
Anthony Rizzo
|
42
|
.212
|
.381
|
.515
|
.896
|
3
|
8
|
5
|
7
|
|
Gleyber Torres
|
36
|
.161
|
.229
|
.323
|
.551
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
9
|
|
Isiah Kiner-Falefa
|
30
|
.214
|
.267
|
.286
|
.552
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
7
|
|
Josh Donaldson
|
43
|
.200
|
.256
|
.325
|
.581
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
15
|
|
Joey Gallo
|
35
|
.138
|
.286
|
.138
|
.424
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
11
|
|
Aaron Hicks
|
33
|
.333
|
.438
|
.444
|
.882
|
1
|
2
|
5
|
5
|
|
Aaron Judge
|
41
|
.257
|
.350
|
.429
|
.779
|
1
|
1
|
5
|
10
|
|
Giancarlo Stanton
|
40
|
.263
|
.275
|
.447
|
.722
|
2
|
8
|
1
|
13
|
|
DJ LeMahieu
|
33
|
.321
|
.424
|
.500
|
.924
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
6
|
|
Jose Trevino
|
10
|
.500
|
.500
|
.600
|
1.100
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
|
Marwin Gonzalez
|
3
|
.000
|
.333
|
.000
|
.333
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
Tim Locastro
|
2
|
.000
|
.000
|
.000
|
.000
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Ten games in, here is another number to consider: Ten different batting orders.
| 4/8 VS BOS | 4/9 VS BOS | 4/10 VS BOS | 4/11 VS TOR | 4/12 VS TOR | 4/13 VS TOR | 4/14 VS TOR | 4/15 AT BAL | 4/16 AT BAL | 4/17 AT BAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Josh Donaldson
|
Donaldson
|
Donaldson
|
LeMahieu
|
Donaldson
|
Rizzo
|
Donaldson
|
Rizzo
|
Hicks
|
Hicks
|
|
2
|
Aaron Judge
|
Judge
|
Rizzo
|
Rizzo
|
Judge
|
Judge
|
Judge
|
Stanton
|
Judge
|
Judge
|
|
3
|
Anthony Rizzo
|
Rizzo
|
Judge
|
Judge
|
Rizzo
|
Donaldson
|
Rizzo
|
Donaldson
|
Rizzo
|
Donaldson
|
|
4
|
Giancarlo Stanton
|
Stanton
|
Stanton
|
Stanton
|
Stanton
|
Gallo
|
Stanton
|
Gallo
|
Stanton
|
Stanton
|
|
5
|
DJ LeMahieu
|
LeMahieu
|
Gallo
|
Gallo
|
LeMahieu
|
LeMahieu
|
LeMahieu
|
LeMahieu
|
Donaldson
|
LeMahieu
|
|
6
|
Joey Gallo
|
Gallo
|
Torres
|
Torres
|
Torres
|
Torres
|
Gallo
|
Torres
|
Gallo
|
Torres
|
|
7
|
Aaron Hicks
|
Gleyber Torres
|
Hicks
|
Hicks
|
Hicks
|
Hicks
|
Torres
|
Hicks
|
Torres
|
Higashioka
|
|
8
|
Kyle Higashioka
|
Higashioka
|
Kiner-Falefa
|
Higashioka
|
Higashioka
|
Kiner-Falefa
|
Kiner-Falefa
|
Kiner-Falefa
|
Kiner-Falefa
|
Kiner-Falefa
|
|
9
|
Isiah Kiner-Falefa
|
Kiner-Falefa
|
Jose Trevino
|
Marwin Gonzalez
|
Kiner-Falefa
|
Higashioka
|
Trevino
|
Higashioka
|
Trevino
|
Tim Locastro
|
The Yankees’ “good problem” of having too many starting infielders and a desire for Giancarlo Stanton to spend time playing in the outfield has turned every afternoon into what seems like lineup roulette. As the Yankees look to get their offense on track, they’re trying out their hitters just about anywhere they can.
Not having a consistent lineup, or set roles on paper may seem like an innovated way to attack the current era of the sport which relies on resting players and keeping them healthy. But the down fall of this approach is eliminating any type of rhythm for hitters at the plate and in the field.
These dilemmas always take care of themselves via injury or performance, but how long can the Yankees realistically wait around for things to play out naturally?
The division is stacked. Each game, especially those in division games, are immensely important regardless of when it takes place. This experiment is costing Yankees winnable games and quickly backing them into a corner.
I don’t understand the Yankees resting their best players against weak teams. Run your A team out there and dominate a two week stretch. Don’t play down to the competition.
— Tim (@TimPeterson_3) April 17, 2022
Take the weekend series in Baltimore as an example. Friday’s game on Jackie Robinson day the Yankees sit Aaron Judge for what reason? His turn in the lineup roulette? The Yankees had the chance to set the tone with the first game of the series. They set it by throwing out their C level lineup in an eventual loss.
Again on Sunday the Yankees through out a lesser lineup, one which featured no Gallo or Rizzo. You can tell me you’re trying to win, but the commitment to rest tells me otherwise.
I get it these guys are not Cal Ripken Jr., and this isn’t the era of playing 162 games. But ten games into the season and planning out rest days is absurd.
Going forward Boone and the Yankees need to find their best 9 and play them full time. That means someone important in that locker room is going to be insulted but in a locker room of 26 guys, if one gets left at sea to keep the ship afloat, so be it.
Until then expect more inconsistent play from an offense that was built to be potent, not shut out by a Baltimore Orioles team that has no plans of winning until 2025.
