I hate strikeouts. It's probably the reason why I can't stand Joey Gallo. But here's the thing; when players come to a new team, and in Joey's case, and even in Josh Donaldson's case, there is a grace period where there is a new adjustment to a new team and a new bunch of fans that you need to take into account. But don't get me wrong... I'm losing my patience with Donaldson.
For some reason the New York Post asked Aaron Boone what he thinks of Josh Donaldson. Not sure why they didn't ask Josh, but I guess the situation is a sensitive one. Check this out:
"I think he’s on the verge,’’ Aaron Boone said of Donaldson before the Yankees opened a series against the Orioles on Friday at Camden Yards with a 2-1 loss in 11 innings.
“I’m not worried about him,’’ the manager said. “If we keep him healthy, he’ll have a big year for us.”...“He’ll be rotating through there [at DH],’’ Boone said. “We value and want him in the field, but I think if we can possibly get him days at DH day, it hopefully serves him well.”
All Boone says is right, but if learning from history means anything, let's experiment... it's April. Much like Giancarlo Stanton, maybe DH is a death sentence for Donaldson. Maybe veteran Donaldson needs to be in the field to stay engaged and start hitting. Stanton is fire right now, and the reason is simple, he is fully engaged playing the outfield. He's not cold off the bench and waiting for his next at bat, and that is clearly important to him and very important to the team.
For Donaldson, we are dealing with an old man. I say that with the upmost respect, but clearly this guy is injury prone, and we don't want him in the field if he's going to get hurt. But that's the give and take... and that's the experiment that needs to happen. It's up to Boone to figure that out.
Look, if it's me looking at Donaldson's performance, maybe it's even age alone. Maybe he just can't catch up to the fastball like he used to be able to do, and that's fine, but we unfortunately have to give it some time to figure that out. And maybe that timeframe is till May to see if this guy can snap out of it.
Hey, maybe leadoff isn't the spot in the lineup he needs to be. Maybe it is. We will see. That's when managers need to manage and fight the right combination to solve the puzzle. Yup... pretty much where Boone is at his weakest.
Be patient Yankee fans... the team's doing great and it's only April.
Go Yanks!
I feel Donaldson can't get comfortable and get his timing at the plate.
ReplyDeleteOne day he's playing 3b,next dh'ing , next rest day.
Let him play 3b daily and his offense will improve.