Keep in mind, Aaron Hicks (Aaron 1, based on longevity) is the Yank version of Jackie Bradely Jr. - (who, by the way, is now batting .175 with 1 HR, after slumping late last season). He's the quintessential late-blooming, five-tool OF, whose ceiling remains undefined. Last night, Aaron 1 laid to rest any concerns that Jacoby Ellsbury's recuperation will take a while. Hell, Ells could go on a healing cruise to Tahiti, and we might not skip a beat.
For now, Aaron Judge, (Aaron 2) remains the shiny new blend of Kevin Maas, Greg Bird and Gary Sanchez - the abrupt super nova, whose ceiling also remains undefined. He probably won't hit like this forever, which means we don't know where his true north numbers will settle. My guess is around .260 and 30 HR - (and I'd be happy with that) - though that would mean far less output over the next five months.
Considering that nobody aside from ISIS would take Brett Gardner or Ellsbury in a trade, RF might yet again become a competition between Aaron 1 v. Aaron 2.
Crazy, eh? That Aaron Judge could still have to worry about keeping his job? But for now, that's our rich team's problem. Assuming that Matt Holliday has a glove, we have five outfielders, with two more in the Scranton coal yard: Clint Frazier (now up to .269; below .200 two weeks ago) and Dustin Fowler (.302 with 5 triples, five!) are hot in Moosic. Adding to it - and yes, he looked awful last night - is Brigadoon Refsnyder. I still believe the guy can hit .300 with plate discipline. But he's not a 2B, which is fine, because we have Torreyes, (who should have been in there last night. WTF, Joe?) Something must give in the overcrowded outfield, and I greatly fear we will trade Frazier and/or Fowler, at the expense of Ellsbury or Hicks, reverting back to the bloated, contract-first policies that dug us into this crapola decade.
Finally, I direct your attention to Mr. Chris Carter, the killer of rallies. Actually, he hasn't been that bad - .229, and better than advertised in the field. But Carter has now fanned 18 times in 48 at bats - a 36 percent rate. Worse, you get the feeling that any time a pitcher bears down, he can strike out Carter. Maybe the guy will go on a bender and hit 30 HRs in a week, but then he'll strike out 200 times in a month. He remains the mismatched socks in the Yankee drawer, and I'd rather see Refsnyder coming up with a rally in progress.
Tyler Austin, now taking batting practice in Tampa, is three weeks away, and even then, we don't know what we've got. As long as we're winning, we can absorb zero output from 1B, and, of course, Greg Bird will need 200 at bats before we call in the punting team. But it will hurt if one of the Aarons is riding the bench, while our first baseman strikes out four times in every 10 at bats.
Oh, the problems of winning teams!
Game thread again tonight, though why bother? We can't beat Lester. Impossible.
are we allowed to have two Aarons who are productive contributors? Having four outfielders and a productive DH, Holliday, reminds me of the late 70s teams -- Roy White, Lou Piniella, Oscar Gamble, Mickey Rivers, Reggie Jackson, Paul Blair and even Cliff Johnson. Everybody played and contributed. Right now, Hicks and Judge are red hot. They play and Ellsbury sits. Hopefully our man, Joey Binders, plays the right cards.But I suspect that after last night he's going to rest Hicks. Doesn't want him to develop any bad habits, like getting four hits in consecutive games.
ReplyDeleteTom's right. No way Hicks is in the lineup this evening. Injuries will sort out the rest, just hopefully not to Judge.
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ReplyDeleteSo much winning that our heads are spinning....
ReplyDeleteIS GIRARDI CRAZY ENOUGH TO "REST" HICKS AFTER A FOUR HIT GAME???
ReplyDeleteUSUALLY A 2 OR 3 HIT GAME GETS YOU THE BENCH THE NEXT DAY, BUT A 4 HIT GAME, INCLUDING A HOMER?..... BIRD HAD THAT 3 HIT GAME WITH A HOMER, WAS BENCHED THE NEXT DAY, AND NEVER RECOVERED...... LETS SEE IF WE CAN RUIN HICKS' RUN!
Yes, we should not even show up against Lester. NOW you're talking the real Juju. Let's get back to basics. Thank god.
ReplyDeleteAs for Aaron having to fight for his job, isn't that only fair. Isn't America a just meritocracy? Doesn't the best man/woman rise to the top? Oh wait a minute...I'm going to get a bowl of cold cereal and think about stuff.
I think Hicks is now a better CF than Ellsbury. Just food for thought. He is faster, has a better arm and looks more in control.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible that we got lucky with this Dude?
Forget that last remark.
But I prefer that he is always in the line-up. I feel the same about Torreyes, but all three starters remain hot ( except for Headley's defense ).
And we have plenty of time to rest Romine, as well.
pull the plug on Headley before he reverts to norm.
ReplyDeleteGiants have two productive Brandons. Plus, Sabochy's treatment of Belt for his first three years is obviously Cashardi's model for handling Bird. Look up the Belt Wars. We're in the opening days of the Bird Wars, I fear. But the Giants won with two millennial first namers, and a sweet swinging lefty 1st baseman whose confidence is regularly undermined by management. Along with defensive shifts and loving the three true outcomes, that's the formula for winning baseball in the 21st century. Cashardi may yet be the east coast Sabochy.
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