New York Yankees fans attempt to identify why the team’s offense is struggling this season: "Judge has been meh" "It’s been home run or bust"
New York Yankees fans are not the type of people who keep their opinions under their ballcaps. They'll let you know when they are winning, and you better believe you'll know it when they're losing.
In that spirit, Yankees fans were straight out asked why they thought the team's offense was struggling this season. The answers ranged from the obvious to the conspiratorial. One thing is for sure, there are many members of Yankee Nation who think they could do a better job than manager Aaron Boone or general manager Brian Cashman.
Why do you think the Yanks are struggling on offense? #NYY https://t.co/uLaSBZl5jF
New York Yankees fans keyed in on a number of points that many have made well known already. The Yankees are holding on to a number of light-hitting veterans that are well past their prime, such as Josh Donaldson and Aaron Hicks, at the cost of getting playing time to most of their highly-regarded prospects.
The Yankees lineup is also rather one-dimensional, relying on the home run rather than making contact and manufacturing runs. While Anthony Rizzo is off to a hot start, 2022 American League MVP Aaron Judge is well off his pace of 62 home runs, 131 RBIs and a .311 batting average.
@FiresideYankees •The puppies are still getting used to things, which is FINE
•The big dogs are tired, and there’s no one to take the pressure off, because
•The backups do nothing but use up oxygen on the bench
@FiresideYankees bc they’re letting the kids play and that has consequences (sometimes). oh and judge has been meh.
@FiresideYankees Right now? We’ve been in this position for years now. It’s homerun or bust and they show no signs of changing things
Of course, when players don't produce, much of the laser-focused angst focuses on leadership. Yankees fans have long wanted to see Cashman shown the door, and most would like to see a change from Boone on the field as well. When a 27-time World Series championship squad hasn't won a title since 2009, fans tend to blame the braintrust.
@FiresideYankees It seems like the same old story for the whole Boone era. I’d be interested to see what they’d do under a different manager and with a consistent lineup.
@FiresideYankees It’s on Cashman, he addressed nothing in offseason
@FiresideYankees 2 words! Ineffective Leadership
There's also something to be said for the lineup itself just not being up to snuff. The 2023 New York Yankees aren't reminding anyone of the "Murderer's Row" teams of the late 1920s, the Roger Maris/Mickey Mantle squads of the early 1960s or the Derek Jeter heyday of the turn of the century.
@FiresideYankees Cause the lineup isn’t good
@FiresideYankees Inconsistent lineup. No cohesion and batters aren’t feeding off one another’s success.
@FiresideYankees Other than Rizzo there are no quality left handed hitters in lineup. Poorly constructed team!
The famed "Moneyball" tactics of the Oakland Athletics – before that organization was stripped to the studs – aren't generally thought of in relation to the Yankees. However, at least one fan believes New York needs to just "grip it and rip it" rather than making lineup decisions based on what the PC tells them.
@FiresideYankees Because they don’t believe in consistency. They only believe in Analytics and completely discount the human side of baseball.
New York Yankees hanging in there despite hitting woes
Despite the hitting woes, the New York Yankees are 13-9 and hanging in the midst of the American League East standings.