Yankees Are Getting Soft Up The Middle
That’s the headline for my latest NY Sun article, on the Yankees’ up-the-middle players. I argue that Jeter and Posada are aging and starting to decline, and that Cano and Cabrera are talented but erratic players who don’t do enough to be franchise guys down the road. I know Jeter criticism is verboten in some parts (I’m looking at you, Mr. Wexler), but facts is facts. The Captain’s power and walk rate are eroding, his defense, always overrated, is now among the league’s worst (he doesn’t make errors, but his range stinks) and he’s now almost completely reliant on batting average for value, an iffy proposition considering he turns 34 this month, and batting average tends to fall off sharply with age.
If the Yankees start a new dynasty, it might well be the team’s pitching that gets them there.
For reals.
