At this point, it's insane to bat Gleyber Torres ninth

For the last two months, batting Gleyber Torres ninth has been one of Aaron Boone's fatherly, insightful, kindly and creative ways of breaking-in the fuzzy-cheeked rook. It's a throwback to the days when young Bernie Williams batted ninth, and it dovetailed into modern baseball psychobabble about "the second lead-off hitter, blah-blah-blah," which happens when the order turns around. Boone even batted Gleyber ninth, behind the pitcher, in an inter-league game, without suffering proper condemnation. (When your team wins, nobody asks questions.) 

Last night, Boonie's bonehead, idiotic, hubris-laden idea cost the Yankees a game. 

It's one thing to bat a solid hitter ninth when your lineup is bursting with bats. It's another when you have a struggling Greg Bird and a defense-only Kyle Higashioka in the order. 

Four times last night, four fucking times! Higashioka's lineup slot made the final out in an inning with runners on base, and Gleyber kneeling in the on-deck circle. Higgy went 0-3, while Torres - one slot below - went 3-4, lifting his average to .296. (In fact, if you're looking for "the second lead-off batter" bullshit, Torres should be leading off the lineup, instead of Brett [.251] Gardner.) 

In the second, Higgy flew out with a man on second. In the sixth, he struck out with a runner on first. In the eighth, pinch out Neil Walker fanned with men on first and third. In the tenth... ahh... the horrible tenth... arguably the biggest at bat of the game - two outs, bases loaded, game on the line - Austin Romine, the new catcher, fanned with Gleyber waiting on deck. 

Stupid, stupid, stupid. 

One other thing, while I have you... It's becoming impossible to ignore the domination of young, ascending talent in baseball. Look at Atlanta. Look at Philadelphia. Look at last year's Astros, and the Royals and Cubs before them. Teams relying on veterans - see the Nationals, O's, Mets, et al - are getting pounded. And right now, the Yankees have the best of both worlds - vets and rookies. But we're about to do a terrible thing: We're on the verge - and everybody knows this - of trading Clint Frazier for some tin can starter, such as Cole Hamels, even though it's possible that Frazier would be more productive in LF than Gardy. Yes, I'm sorry to speak blaspheme about our de facto captain, but it's now been half the year, and Gardy is still hitting .251. (OBP is .346, fourth among starters.) Isn't it time for a platoon, at worst? Wouldn't Frazier have been a better pinch hitter than Neil Walker? Are we really going to bundle up one of the most exciting young hitters in baseball and trade him for AJ Happ? Because this "final puzzle piece" mentality is just another chunk of Gammonitic crapola, and if we think veterans can take us to Xanadu, then take a good look at the Blue Jays, because that's where we'll be in three years. And like them, we might have nothing to show for it.

Gleyber Torres... ninth? THERE OUGHTA BE A LAW!