SAD REALITY... MAYBE IT'S TIME

Perhaps the time has come for we who are Yankees fans to accept the inevitable.   This just isn’t going to be our year.

We’ve hoped against hope each time our captain Derek has returned, only to see him once again land on the disabled list.

We even offered up glimmers of excitement at the return of Curtis Granderson from a broken arm.  Once again that excitement turned to utter disappointment as he too found his way back from whence he came.

He at least is back now, but even that seems to be tempered, as he is being benched against left-handed pitchers by manager Joe Girardi.

I can’t help but wonder aloud “What is the point in that Joe?”  How can anyone possibly use matchup lineups against opponents when they don’t have a complete team to work with?  Why not run your best players out there every single day?   If you should fail, you are at least failing with your best.  Screw the damn binder and the statistics that lie within.  It won’t work this year.

Third base has been a carousel of mediocrity.  We finally get our regular back from his umpteenth hip procedure only to realize that It will be temporary - courtesy of his own poor life decisions and Bud Selig.

The starting rotation was the pride of the team going into the season.

We finally had Andy after a full off-season of preparation, and CC was supposed to be new and improved after elbow surgery and a loss of some weight. 

Phil Hughes was coming off a decent year, and at 27 years-old would be moving into the prime seasons of his career.

Instead Andy, CC and Phil have been tremendous letdowns.  CC in particular is getting pounded early and often in games.  Hughes has already allowed 20 HR in his incredibly inconsistent season, and Andy is starting to look like an aging pitcher.

David Phelps, our promising spot starter is on the DL.

Michael Pineda has been shut down for seven to ten days with shoulder stiffness. 

Only Hiroki Kuroda and Ivan Nova have been bright spots.

The bullpen hasn’t been devoid of performance issues either. 

Joba Chamberlain looks more and more like he needs a change of scenery and rumors have persisted that the Yankees are trying to make that happen.

Every time Boone Logan steps on the mound the Yankee fans hold their collective breath.  You never know when the flood gates will open against him, but you know at some point they will.

Well, at least we still have our beloved Mo.  No signs of depreciation there.  He just keeps rolling along – right to Cooperstown.  God, we are going to miss him.

So what do we do?

Maybe it’s time we let the next generation of Bombers have their say. 

Let’s trim the fat off this old and proud tree and get on with the business of growing pains.

(In photo: Austin Romine)

Bring up JR Murphy and let him share time with Austin Romine behind the plate.  Chris Stewart, we thank you for your stability as a backstop but when you are standing at the plate we can just see opposing pitchers’ mouths watering.

Mark Teixeira won’t be standing at first base this season so rather than throwing retreads out there, continue with the precedent Girardi set on August 6^th and keep trying David Adams there.  Since ARod has returned, we should continue to “season” Adams in “the show”. 

At this point, it can’t hurt.

Second base is Robbie’s until further notice.  We need to encourage him to stay.

With Jeet breaking down every other week, we may as well let Nunez remain there (maybe share time with Nix?)and hopefully plug some of the holes in the sieve that he wears for a glove.  Nunez has flashed a decent bat in the past, and with regular play it may just surprise us.

Third base is ARod’s until at least next season.  Should he ultimately get suspended, the daily inclusion of Adams in the 2013 lineup (at first base) will allow the baby Bomber to hone his bat and step over to the hot corner in 2014.

Brett Gardner has developed into perhaps our most valuable outfielder.  He is a sparkplug at the plate and an underrated centerfielder. 

24 year-old Zoilo Almonte exploded on the scene when called up to the Bronx, but cooled off prior to getting hurt.  He’s still developing but has shown he’s not intimidated at the major league level.  Get him into the lineup (and field) often when he returns from his injury.

The Yankees outfield future lies with the likes of Gardner, Alimonte, Melky Mesa, Slade Heathcott and Tyler Austin.  We should use the remainder of the year to gradually get the “newbies” some playing time in our cathedral – even if it comes at the expense of playing time for Grandy and Ichiro.

Our team needs rejuvenation. 

When we have our star second baseman half-heartedly jogging down to first base on a groundout, maybe it’s a sign that we need some life in that dugout. 

If he saw kids who were fighting to stay with the big league club giving their all with every play – regardless of how insignificant it may seem to the game – it might rekindle a fire within.

The same goes for the pitching staff.

(In Photo: Preston Claiborne) 
Preston Claiborne and Adam Warren have already injected new hope into the bullpen while subtly taking appearances away from the likes of Joba and Logan. Warren has made a strong case for being in the starting rotation.

We need to continue pushing the deadweight out of the way and bring up Dellin Betances.   In his new role as a reliever at Scranton, he has struck out 85 in 70 innings of work while walking only 36.  That’s a far cry from what he was doing as a starter.

I realize that what I’m proposing goes in direct opposition to the way the Yankees have conducted business the past few years.  But, what our front office has been doing is trying to maintain the excellence of players who have made up our foundation for the better part of the past 17 years.  It has been a GREAT run, but that foundation is cracking and withering away with age. 

What I am asking is that before the entire house collapses, inject it with new life. 

I realize it risks the present, but it does so to ensure the future.

Maybe it’s time.


   
--Steve Skinner, BYB Guest Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

 

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