Monday, August 26, 2019

As the pre-postseason begins, the Yankees are uniquely poised to shrug off injuries

Yesterday, somebody in black pajamas, who looked like Sir Didi Gregorius, was pulled from the Yankee game after being drilled by Clayton Kershaw. In another year, another multiverse, such an event would signal a lengthy essay here on the death of God in American literature. The mere notion of losing Sir Didi - everyone's favorite Yankee - through the September-October vortex would have sent the Death Star plummeting from orbit. But last night, with alternative strangers in their hideous black pajamas, you hardly noticed him missing.

Listen closely, there are hidden messages being conveyed from the new reality of 2019:

1. The baseballs are juiced, and this year's HR totals will either be single-year outliers, or the game will precariously change into a slugging derby. 

2. Under the expanded pressures of money, second-guessing media and digital technology, human umpires are increasingly losing control of the game. 

3. Football-level injury rates have come to baseball, and a team is only as strong as its depth allows. 

It's No. 3 that matters to the Yankees, who this year have fielded the deepest roster in baseball - by light years. Even if Didi were to suddenly disappear - a horrible thought, for sure - the Yanks would merely shuffle Gleyber Torres to SS and solve the 1B opening with Mike Ford, or the soon-to-return Luke Voit (and then Edwin Encarnacion.) For injuries to crush this team, they would have to arrive in one concentrated juju wave, attacking one strategic position; even then, with Thairo Estrada and Tyler Wade, the Yanks could heal quickly and surprise opponents.

I say this because yesterday, Cleveland lost Jose Ramirez for the rest of the season with a busted fore paw. They have no Gio Urshela to replace him. Last week, Boston said goodbye to Chris Sale. Even though he had been erratic, there was always the chance Sale would suddenly become lights out in October. Now, that's gone. We've reached the chapter in the season when a tweaked gonad is final. Roll an ankle? Might as well roll a joint; you're done, pal. 

But but BUT... nobody on the Yankees is irreplaceable. Sure, it would hurt like hell to lose Aaron Judge. But Mike Tauchman remains solid, Giancarlo Stanton might return, and who knows what Clint Frazier might do if given a second chance? Gary Sanchez? Yeah, he's a rock, but Austin Romine rises to every occasion, and Kyle Higashioka remains a pleasant surprise. Everywhere you look, the Yankees have back-ups, the kind that could bat third or fourth on many teams. Nobody else in baseball is so blessed. 

Listen: More injuries will come. They never stop, never rest. Supposedly, Didi has a minor bruise and will return. (If we've learned anything over the years, it's to never believe a word the Yankees say about injuries.) We have one incredible advantage over the rest of baseball: We are deeper than Marianne Williamson. Maybe, just maybe, this is how we build championships. 

24 comments:

JM said...

Of course, the one place we're a tad threadbare is pitching. If we lose a starter, nobody is on deck to take over. Sure, German has more than filled Severino's slot, but that's it. There's nobody to fill another hole. And if, say, Britton and Kahnle or Ottavino go down, we're in big trouble. That mercifully seems unlikely, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.

So it's still the same old story. Not the fight for love and glory, but pitching. Cash and the Statmen (check out their new single, "Trash Heap Baby") have not yet found the numbers that let them do for the hurlers what they've done for the position players. We got lucky in LA with good games from the starters, the opposite of the Oakland games. That kind of luck has proven to be very ephemeral this season.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

I believe today is Red Menace emancipation day (I read it here somewhere), where calling him up won't cost a year of service.

The bad news -- he's .245 at Scranton, .241 in August, so he's not getting better. Just 7 HR's (Tauchman has 12 for reference).

The brain trust has killed another prospect. Great work guys. Shoulda traded him when you could.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

In other news, David Ortiz just announced he's hired an ex police commissioner to look for the real OJ killer. No word on whether he's paid the pimp yet.

JM said...

Big Head Papi out for justice.

Trevor Rosenthal out for a roster slot.

Clint Frazier making too many outs.

Ceeja said...

I watched the game and must confess I've developed a full Joe Buck style man crush on Gardner. So he completely manufactures an insurance run in the ninth. With just one glance at the missed pickoff he knew he was going to third. Amazing.

But the best part of it was when he got up from his slide, the name on his Jersey was just "Gardner." No bullshit nickname, not even "Gardy". He takes the game too seriously for that kind of bullshit. I wish the whole team had done that.

Anonymous said...



We've had so many injuries this year I keep expecting The Black Swan to go down with writer's cramp, leaving us with our back up, The Grey Goose.

Doug K.

13bit said...

I know our pitching depth is almost bottomless, but I still worry...

KD said...

roll an ankle, roll a joint. Excellent advice, duque. I shall use it for any injury, minor or major. Now that hammer injury I gave myself yesterday doesn’t seem so terrible.

TheWinWarblist said...

I'm gagging over "We are deeper than Marianne Williamson."

13bit said...

Oh man, we actually have too much pitching. Maybe we can trade some of our ace hurlers for a slugger.

Anonymous said...

I AGREE WITH RUFUS...

OUR BRAIN TRUST HAS KILLED, (OR INADVERTENTLY, TRIED TO KILL, ANOTHER PROSPECT).

THE GOOD THING FOR US IS I BELIEVE CLINT FRAZIER HAS THE TALENT TO IMPACT THE BIG TEAM AGAIN (IF WE EVER CALL HIM BACK UP).

FORGET ABOUT HIS AVERAGE AND PRODUCTION AT SCRANTON.

HE WAS AMBUSHED, FELT WRONGED, AND IS OBVIOUSLY BORED BEING IN TRIPLE A.

WE NEED HIS BAT AND HIS PENCHANT FOR HITTING WITH RUNNERS IN SCORING POSITION.

THE QUICKER WE GET HIM UP HERE THE GREATER OUR CHANCES TO WIN HOME FIELD IN THE PLAYOFFS, WHICH IS A MUST.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Personally, I will never get over our touching tribute to the Viet Cong, which was really what this whole black/white thing was all about, brought about by the secret, sleeper agents who run MLB. Next year: expect a hammer-and-sickle motif.

Unless, of course, it's really a tribute to Truman Capote's famous black-and-white ball at the Plaza. You know, I was always suspicious of HAL after that "Kinky Boots" episode...

13bit said...

I could not watch these recent games because I no longer have a black and white television.

I hear our pitchers have a new fight sone: "I got plenty of nothing...nothing's plenty for me..."

ranger_lp said...

Jordan Montgomery...talk about depth...

JM said...

Is Jordan a deep guy? Who knew?

13bit said...

Do I love you? My oh my...
Jordan River deeeeeep, mountain high....yeah yeah yeah yeah...

JM said...

LOL...I remember that one.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

Hoss,

It has come to my attention (ok i'm a little slow), that you are one of the few old farts that haven't put up an avatar.

Might I suggest this one: https://vintagecardprices.com/pics/1818/547/167491.jpg

JM,

I have no idea who your avatar is (I said i'm slow), but thank you for smoking (a great movie).

JM said...

That's the infamous Cigarette Smoking Man from the X-Files. (Psst...he was Mulder's real father!)

13bit said...

or this one

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512Ahzm1KpL._SY445_.jpg

13bit said...

of course, this one could be my favorite. I'll send it to you, Hoss, if you can't grab it and decide to use it.

http://www.motelsign.com/hoss.jpeg

HoraceClarke66 said...

Great idea, Rufus! I have one in mind...though absolutely no idea of how to add it.

I shall consult the IT team here, as soon as she's back from a mani/pedi.

13bit said...

I can’t take the suspense!

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