Rapid Fire Thoughts Part 2: Requiem for the 2021 Season
These boys were boppin’ this year.
The 2021 season, as I love to remind everyone, was an extremely up and down season. The Yankees went from the basement to the penthouse and back again, taking multiple elevator rides up and down as they oscillated between contender and pretender. In the end, their impressive performance in Boston and Toronto was erased in the span of four terrible games against Tampa and in the playoffs. Now, the team faces more questions than perhaps any season in recent memory as they gear up for the offseason. Earlier this week, Will shared some rapid fire thoughts on the season that was and I’ll do the same here before we begin looking ahead in earnest to 2022.
Fenway Fiasco
What a terrible, terrible game Tuesday’s one game playoff was. All season long, the Yankees failed to live up to their expectations, but their late September run provided hope that things might be turning around. To go out and play like that at Fenway was utterly embarrassing and a good microcosm of the season - terrible offense, inconsistent pitching, and a few crucial errors that swung the game. You have to give Nathan Eovaldi credit - he was really rolling and the Yankees’ strategy of swinging first pitch wasn’t going to be successful with his pitches as sharp as they were. They also couldn’t really do anything else, as Eovaldi is a strike thrower and wasn’t going to get into lengthy at bats. This approach paid off earlier in the month for the Yankees when they beat up on Eovaldi, but backfired this time. Gerrit Cole’s start was the complete opposite and I’m 99% sure the hamstring was the cause for the bad command (seriously, what was that pitch to Bogaerts?). Despite all that, the Yankees did have a chance to get back in the game, but Nevin’s send of Judge snuffed out that rally in the sixth. Was it the right move? I actually didn’t have a huge problem with it - you have to be aggressive to win playoff games and I don’t have a huge amount of confidence in Gallo getting that runner home. It was a bad outcome and potentially a flawed decision, but credit to the Red Sox for executing the play to get Judge at home. In the end, you have to score more than one run in the first eight innings at Fenway, and the blame for this game, much as many others this year, is on the offense.
Requiem for a Season
So what to make of the 2021 Yankees when all is said and done? There were definitely highlights from this year, but this team will always be defined by its inconsistency. When the Yankees signed Gerrit Cole in the winter of 2019, it seemed like the final piece of the puzzle, but since then, this team has gone backwards in multiple ways. Last season was easy enough to write off due to the short 60 game season, but that team’s middling record turned out not to be an outlier. However, I hesitate to lump the 2020 and 2021 Yankees together. The 2020 Yankees were a dollar store version of the 2018-2019 teams - great offense was a little less great and the slumps were a little longer and highlighted because of the short season. However, the 2021 team had some glaring flaws and the only question was how much they were hurting the team at any time. The pitching was outstanding but the culprit of every shortcoming this year was the offense. Even when the team was going well, they were winning close games 2-1 or 3-2, not exactly inspiring for a team that was used to winning in slugfests. When only two members of your lineup have an above average WRC+, that’s a HUGE problem. Was it the juiced ball? To some extent, but every other team dealt with the same issue and none of them regressed as badly as the Yankees. The errors and baserunning miscues were only issues because the runs they cost the team were so crucial. When we look back on the 2021 Yankees, we will remember all of the close games and the misplays that became so important because the boys were not boppin’.
Bye Bye Boone?
The big question in the wake of the 2021 season is the future managerial status of Aaron Boone. Should he stay or should he go? While I don’t think Boone was responsible for all of the issues this year, I have firmly moved into the “Boone must go” camp. Is he a great guy who gets along with players? Sure! Everyone seems to like him and I’m sure he’s a good guy to hang out with. However, this team has suffered for too long by acting like they’ve already won three titles and now are just there to continue the excellence that they’ve started. The fact is that under Boone, the Yankees have regressed in multiple ways, and not just with the bats. They are no longer the team that nails down the fundamentals, that creates an intimidating specter for opponents when they come into the Stadium, that can back up the Yankees mythology with their play. Post 2019, I might have felt differently, but these last two years have been an embarrassment, especially considering the addition of Gerrit Cole, one of the best pitchers in the game. Boone’s in game managerial style leaves a lot to be desired and it is a liability for the Yankees to employ a manager who routinely is outmaneuvered by his counterparts, especially in a division with other teams that are only going to get better. Most importantly, Boone’s lackadaisical attitude has permeated through the clubhouse and is directly reflected in his players. A team always takes on the characteristics of its leader and the Yankees are a reflection of Aaron Boone. Making comments such as “The league has closed the gap on us.” show a man out of touch with the reality of the situation. Now do I think Boone is gone? I’d put the odds of that at 30%, which is a damn shame. Hopefully he comes back with a new coaching staff and short leash, because the Yankees have run out of rope to give to their manager.
Season Highlights
It wasn’t all doom and gloom this season - there were some great moments from this year that I really enjoyed. First of all, we had a full baseball season! Last year was nice, but baseball without fans didn’t feel the same. Having packed stadiums this fall made for an exciting stretch run for the first time in two years. Second, we saw a healthy and dominant Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton for the first time ever and it was glorious. Judge will be a top five finisher in MVP voting and Stanton carried the Yankees from August onward. His Fenway rampage in September is one of the all time performances against the Sox, especially his slam in the second game of the series. Seeing the patented Gary Sanchez hot streak in May/June was also a blast (#HOTGARYSUMMER). We welcomed some new faces in Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo and had the requisite Yankees lineup that looks terrible but actually plays kind of well stretch in July with the COVID outbreak taking out many regulars. The real highlights were on the pitching side though. Corey Kluber’s no hitter and Gerrit Cole’s Houston masterpiece were two of the three best games of the season (with the Stanton slam game being the other). It had been 22 years since a Yankees no hitter and I was thrilled to finally watch one of our own close the door, especially someone as mechanical and easy to root for as Corey Kluber. And of course, Gerrit Cole yelling at Boone to get off the mound in the ninth inning in Houston was an all time moment. It was also the year of the triple play, as the Yankees had three of them (including two in a week!). The walk off triple play against the A’s was possibly the craziest moment of the season for its sheer improbability. We met unsung heroes who played a starring role in the rotation and bullpen, such as Nasty Nestor Cortes and “Detective” Clay Holmes, both of whom will be back for next year. We also saw the rise of Jonathan Loisiaga into an elite reliever and Jordan Montgomery into a top of the rotation starter. We even got a good start out of the Heandog! It was a standout year for the pitching staff - all hail the pitching god Matt Blake.
Winter of Our Discontent
The playoffs might be ongoing, but the winter has already begun for 22 of the 30 MLB teams, including the Yankees. Unlike previous years, it seems that a shakeup might be needed for this team to avoid keeping the status quo, which has been how they have mostly handled the last few offseasons. The Yankees have a few big questions - let’s run through the three biggest ones quickly.
Who is playing shortstop? The biggest question for this team, in the wake of Gleyber Torres moving back to second base. Fortunately, there are plenty of good options out there. The three best ones are Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, and Trevor Story. All of them are good, but Yankees fans might be hesitant to throw money at Correa due to his past. I am not on Team Need to Sign Correa, but I also don’t think it’s the end of the world if he signs with them. Remember, Johnny Damon became a beloved Yankee after spending years with Boston. The transition from villain to hero can happen. I do think the Yankees need to go big here - it’s an open spot with great players that can upgrade a lineup that needs upgrading.
How does the rest of the infield shake out? Somehow, the Yankees have too many and not enough infielders. Torres, Voit, Urshela, and LeMahieu will need to split three positions, and Voit is probably gone after being benched this year. I think the Yankees will resign Anthony Rizzo (high OBP lefty with good defense at first base fits too well) and deal Urshela, moving DJ to third base. This is just my prediction, but something will have to be done to clear out the infield mess, especially after the underperformance of many of those players this season.
Does the rotation need an upgrade? The Yankees rotation was a major strength this season, but its hard to be super optimistic about some of the health and performance concerns if this group stands pat. Gerrit Cole slots in at the top and the hope is that Luis Severino can join him. Jordan Montgomery should fit as the third starter, but relying on the health of Jameson Taillon and the continued excellence of Nestor Cortes might be a fool’s errand. Indeed, it’s a question as to how many innings Severino can pitch next year after not pitching a full season since 2018. Signing a mid to top of the rotation starter for depth should be a priority - some good options are Kevin Gausman, Carlos Rodon, Jon Gray, and Andrew Heaney (just kidding on the last one…or am I?). No matter who they sign, they need to sign someone - this season showed the importance of pitching depth, which was a major strength of the team this season and should be again next year.
We’ll have plenty more to discuss as the stove heats up, but for now, just remember that title #28 gets sweeter with each season that goes by. Thanks everyone and go Yankees!
