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Monday, June 3, 2019

Log Jam Ahead

Once upon a time, before we hit upon the fabulous diversion of sending each other pictures of the meals we were about to eat, Americans used to entertain themselves by going to see log jams.

I'm not making this up.  They became so enormous in the Midwest and Northwest that stage coaches and train lines used to actually charter excursions out to see the jams, which could take weeks to untangle.  In 1886, one in Wisconsin backed up for five miles, with an estimated five million plank feet of lumber involved.

That's nothing, though, compared to the log jam the Yanks are looking at when it comes to the DH "position."

This is currently a team lousy with DHs.  Stanton, Andujar, and Frazier all have DH written all over them.  It would also be a good position to "rest" Sanchez in, while keeping his bat in the lineup.  The same could be true for Judge at times.

As the song goes, something's gotta give.  But what, exactly?

Stanton should be given a first baseman's mitt, but he can't be expected to play there more than occasionally, and he is the 800-pound Marlin-out-of-water in the room.  He ain't goin' anywhere until he wants to.

Sanchez still has enough going on defensively, between his arm and his superior ability to frame pitches, until the Yankees' one-man band No. 1 draft pick from last year makes it to the Bronx (which is most likely never).

But that still leaves 2 DHs too many.  I think Andujar has the arm to be made into a left fielder—but that may only end up crowding an outfield that would also have Judge, Hicks, Frazier, Gardy, (occasionally) Stanton, and maybe Florial.  Plus, being injured, El Matador is going nowhere this summer.

Which leaves...Frazier.  Ugh.  I hate the thought of trading this guy.

But what do we do with him?  Probably the most glaring weakness of this Yankees organization is its utter lack of instructional competence.  Just when was the last time anyone got better at anything under the tutelage of our crack instructors?  (See: Andujar, third base).

If Frazier really is a head case—as many here seem to fear—or if he is simply unable to make himself a better fielder...then maybe he should be the one to go for a pitcher.

Will this work out?  No.  More likely Coops will do something like throw in Thairo—NOOOOO!—and get back no better than Bumgarner, who at this point in his career is a coin toss.

But Frazier's shenanigans out there aren't helping him.







5 comments:

13bit said...

Life is but a dream.

Coops is omniscient.

We conquer all. We never lose.

Ten years of sustained excellence and counting.

THIS is the great dynasty.

Tear down that wall, Mister Gorbachev.

Johnny, get your gun, get your gun, get your gun.

I can't get no satisfaction.

You say you want a revolution?

One small step for man, one giant leap...

Today, I'm the luckiest man in the world.

Fuck you, Brian.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

You forgot to mention Kendrys, "Flash", Morales.

David in Cal said...

What could the Yanks get today in trade for injured, good hit-no field Andujar? He is the one player who can be traded without affecting the Yanks' World Series run this year. He seems to have lost his 3B job to Gio. And, even if Andujar can learn to play outfield, he will have trouble breaking in behind Frasier, Judge, Stanton and Hicks. (I assume Gardner will be gone next year.)

Lieber said...

Frazier should have his own spinoff.

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