He doesn't have a magic wand. He doesn't have a secret book about hitting against the shift. He's not a secret weapon. Hell, he's not even a weapon. What he is, is trying his best to become relevant again in a Yankee lineup... especially because he laid an egg last season.
Now I like Chase Headley, I really do. But his age is showing. He's slowed and he hasn't been as good as we've hoped. And what yesterday's hitting display does for him is get him noticed and re-invents him for a bit where he's recently been invisible in a newly young Yankee lineup.
Now Newsday has this wacky piece out about the new and improved Chase Headley and his bats a magic wand and it's hard to hit against the shift but Chase does it great and all of that. Here's a nugget from that:
"The switch hitter had three singles while batting lefthanded Sunday in the Yankees’ 7-3 loss to the Rays on Opening Day. All three beat the shift, including a perfectly placed bunt in the seventh inning, when the Yankees desperately needed baserunners and the third-base side was wide open.
Photo Credit: AP / Chris O’Meara |
The other times, Headley grounded balls to the right of overshifted third baseman Evan Longoria and down the leftfield line. It was as if his bat were a magic wand."
But here's the honest truth from a fan perspective; This is a fight for him and while it's hard, don't think for a second that Headley wasn't working on this all offseason. They guy needs to do something, ANYTHING because I suspect, come the trade deadline, if the Yankees can trade him, they will. Will his recent hitting keep him alive in Yankeeland? For a bit, yeah. But can it last? We'll have to see.
One thing I do know though... Newsday must not have a lot to write about these days, because this little "highlight" story really has me stumped. Nothing can come of Chase Headley right now unless he truly masters the art of hitting. Sure, this will help, but he needs more than 1 game.
Come on, man.
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