Why the Coaches Must Go

What's so ultimately discouraging about this team is that I am no longer sure that even Cooperstown Cashman's preferred method of buying up established stars would make us a true contender.

Take a look at our Giancarlo.  I cut him some slack because he essentially carried the team for about a month and who knows where we would have been without him,  once Coops smartly traded all our back-up outfielders only to see Judge get hurt.

Also, Stanton managed to display a modicum of emotion yesterday, the first I've seen of that from pretty much any Yankee this year.

But the fact is that, for all the worries about G's long-term contract, his production has plunged precipitously, RIGHT NOW.

His OPS is down from last year's 1.007 to just .838, with a big drop in home runs—even though this is exactly what the Yanks' vision of the game encourages him to go for.

Moreover, his stats in all sorts of clutch situations...are just terrible.

But wait!  Giancarlo IS leading the AL in something:  strikeouts.  In fact, with 199, he is ALREADY tied for 11th in most strikeouts for one season, EVER!

With 14 games still to play, Stanton is almost a lock to break Judge's team record of 208 Ks in a season, and has an excellent chance to break the ALL-TIME mark of 223, set by Mark Reynolds.

Given the difficulties of adjusting to a new league, a new team, a new city, etc., etc., this strikes me as the famous, MORE THAN COINCIDENCE.

It also leads to a depressing conclusion.

The Yankees' favored means of instruction is so bad that it not only makes worse players out of young, inexperienced players, but even veteran stars.

If the team  does sign the likes of Machado, Harper, and Corbin this off-season—pretty much its only hope to stay above .500 next year, I would say—they would be well-advised to insist on bringing their own personal coaches.