Friday, January 31, 2020

For the 2020 Yankees, every day will be Gleyber Day

The Yankees are starting to resemble the Iowa caucuses: After months of pondering the outcome, what more to say? Soon, somebody will win, somebody will lose, a few will disappear, and Aaron Hicks will still be injured. Soon, something will happen, and we will have to ask ourselves, what was the point of all that speculation? We could have been watching Ellen.

Then again, this is what fans do - gloriously waste time and brain cells - and we at IIHIIFIIc are blessed with, I believe, the most bonkers Yank fans this side of stage four schizophrenia. Thus, we sit around, thinking personal re-thoughts - that is, thoughts that we have thunk before. (Technically, every thought's been thunk before by somebody; you know how Descartes said, I think therefore I am? Fuck him. I thought it once, all by myself. I was 10 years old, staring out the window and wondering how I could get out of going to school. It hit me, out of the blue: I think, therefore I am. I didn't make a big deal out it. Descartes robbed me.) Anyway, here is today's personal Yankee re-thought: (At least, I'm assuming that I thought it before; actually, I can't remember.)

The fate of the 2020 Yankees rests almost entirely on Gleyber Torres.

If Gleyber can play solid SS, we win the AL East by 10 games. 

If Gleyber can't play solid SS, we face a dogfight for the division, and maybe we settle for the wild card.

Whatever Gleyber delivers, it will topple dominoes in every direction. If he cannot play SS, he moves to 2B, knocking DJ LeMahieu to 1B, thus knocking either Luke Voit or Mike Ford to Scranton. Then there is the question of who plays SS: Tyler Wade, Thairo Estrada, or - my guess - a veteran glove plucked from somebody's leftovers. (One other exotic possibility: Kyle Holder, up from Scranton.) 

In the everyday lineup, Gleyber probably bats third: (LeMahieu, Judge, Gleyber, Stanton, etc...) If his bat is compromised by the pressures of playing SS, that's a problem. We have undermined perhaps the best hitter on the team. That sends ripples in every direction, as well. 

Thus, everything - the sun, the moon, the vagaries of love! - depends on Gleyber's ability to play SS. Last year, he played it for several months, during Didi's absence. He looked.. okay. But my personal re-thought is that when Didi returned, and Gleyber moved to 2B, our overall defense improved. (The question: Was this, in part, because LeMahiue took over at 1B? Maybe.) The problem in October was that Didi didn't hit. 

So, the question entering 2020: Can Gleyber play SS with superior defense, while maintaining his offensive output? 

We let Didi walk this winter, didn't even give him a qualifying offer. (Apparently, we feared he would take it.) I understand the reasoning, sorta: They were cutting corners after signing Gerrit Cole. They were moving toward Gleyber as the SS of the future. I get it. Still, does anyone out there NOT think that Didi will have a great year in Phily? And if Gleyber stumbles, Hal's little spasm of austerity could haunt the 2020 Yankees, and if this team doesn't win a championship... well, it could haunt Yankee teams for many years to come.

11 comments:

TheWinWarblist said...

Stage four undifferentiated schizophrenia.


So endeth the Ju-Ju.

Joe Formerlyof Brooklyn said...

FOR THE RECORD: I do not think Didi will have a great year in Philadelphia. It's the place that dreams go to die.

You remember W.C. Fields on the place:

-- First prize, a week in Philadelphia.

-- Second prize, two weeks in Philadelphia.

https://www.azquotes.com/quote/788418

JM said...

Remember, also, what Fields said when offered a glass of water.

"Water? Never! Fish fuck in it."

Anonymous said...

I think Didi will have a great year in Philly. And it was a stupid mistake not to make the qualifying offer to him. Because his leaving made us a totally right handed lineup. And it will almost certainly end up haunting us this year. Because Gleybar probably will get hurt at some point during the year. Remember the scare that he had once last year, when his right foot slid out from under him, and he went down screaming on the grass in the SS hole? I thought he'd torn a groin muscle, but we were lucky that it turned out to be nothing. We should remember, however, that this is the guy who tore his elbow apart sliding into home plate in the minors. He's kind of injury prone. Every time he slides or dives, I'm cringing.

The Hammer of God

Anonymous said...


Re: Didi in Philly

Philly has been adding some really good players over the last couple of years(Harper, Realmuto, Didi,our old pal Andrew McCutchen... and the addition of Joey Binders should at least keep them in the hunt for the Wildcard.

Re: Gleyber as every day SS:

I'm more worried about having another year when Gardy has to play 120+ games because of the fragility of our starters.

Then again the Yanks won over 100 games with the whole starting outfield on the IL and a weaker pitching staff. So who is to say.

Last:

Went to the Yogi Berra Museum the other day. Totally worth the $5 admission. (Senior rate and free parking) He was an amazing man. Truly a life well led.

Doug K.

HoraceClarke66 said...

I gotta side with Joe FOB on this one.

To paraphrase Elton John, I simply loved Didi more than I do life itself.

But...the guy's about to turn 30, he's missed a lot of games the last 3 seasons (134, to be exact), and he looked freaking overwhelmed down the stretch last year.

I can't very well keep saying we gotta play the kids, and justify keeping him on.

I wish him well in Philly—but I think all we're going to see is more decline. And if giving him up is what it took to get Cole...

HoraceClarke66 said...

And yes, Doug K., he WAS great.

Yanks got him for all of $250, I think.

Alphonso said...

I believe the improvement in the Yankee infield occurred when Le Mahieu moved to first base.

But an infield of Urshela, Torres , Lemahieu and someone else is potentially excellent.

But who is " someone else?"

That kid Holder really has a great " glove" for SS.

If he can be the surprise hitter of spring...that could prove a very good thing. Then " the machine' could play first.

Ford could DH.

The world still views Voit as a one shot deal.

He didn't prove us wrong last season.

smurfy said...

I agree with everything you said, el Duque. Howsomever, I do recall Gleyber's angelic skill hunting pops in neverland:- shades of Robbie! Give him a chance to captain the infield. He finally has a clear field. And while he's key, I think he'll turn it, but what would light his fire with a bat is Judge bombarding before him.

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