Try To Pay Attention, Aaron..........

The Yankees, it is rumored, have a batting coach.  Or is it called, " hitting " coach?  I know it isn't called " strikeout-in-volume " coach.  Maybe it should be.  In my view, the record shows that Judge would contribute more to this team if his hitting guru simply told him, "never to swing."  At least 30% of his strike outs occur on " ball four."

But this failure of a coach gets paid, at minimum, $200,000 per annum.  Perhaps he ( not a she, yet, right?) even has a multi-year contract that totals in the millions.

Whatever he is saying to Aaron is not working.  So, again, we have a senior executive unblemished by failure.  Accountable to no one for his lack of results.  No gain no pain.  A golden parachute awaits for this maestro of golden sombreros.

 If Aaron only hits home runs, and strikes out in world class, record-making style when it matters most, what is truth?

We do recall ( thanks to an attentive reader ) when Judge hit everything, to all fields ( including singles and doubles ) in the first half of the season.  It was clear that we had a superstar in the making.    Power and bat control.  And suddenly, like the wicked witch of the west,  Dave Kingman arrived.  Honestly, Dave never performed ( or" bombed," if I may use the word given the North Korea deliberations ) as woefully as Aaron Judge.

No one in the world of baseball has ever just swatted at air like Aaron. His strike outs are virtually automatic, as long as the opposing pitcher has a curve, slider or change-up.  That is to say,
" if he can pitch at all."

So I hired the above teacher to replace the Yankee's, over-paid, seed-spitting genius batting coach,  who shall remain nameless.

"Aaron please pay attention," our true teacher says, pointing to the physics of, " hitting the ball where it is thrown, and experiencing success."

Why doesn't Aaron get it?  His university didn't just wash him through their academic system did they?  Can't he once, once, ever, once, shift his body  ( and the bat will follow ) toward right field when he sees that low, outside, in-the-dirt spin on those " strike-out " pitches?  Are there no tapes of Derek Jeter to watch? Is attempting to pull every pitch his version of never bunting against a shift, even when a base hit beckons?

How is it possible that Aaron Judge doesn't do this?  I could do it for cripes sake.  I might not hit the ball, but at least the world would know I had a clue.

Seriously, if Girardi is a manager trying to win, he should play Gardy, Jacoby and Aaron Hicks in the outfield.  If he wishes to continue our fine tradition of having no production from our DH, let Aaron Judge do that.  He can strike out as well as Holliday.  And that keeps us out of double plays, if we ever get a baserunner.

I just can't believe we see no adjustment of any kind.  That's why the " automatic " strike out waiver should apply to Judge.  It is a waste of time ( and emotion ) to watch him fail and fail and fail with that bat in his hands.  Just let the opposing manager "call it," and have Aaron sit down with a strike out recorded in the box score.  He just goes from the on-deck circle to the bench.

We'll give the opposing coach three challenges per game, and come out ahead.

"If we cannot learn, we are doomed to repeat our failures" - ( Voltaire or Yogi Berra)