The New York Yankees are struggling badly. For the third consecutive season, they’ve fallen apart after a strong start. Despite being the first team to reach 50 wins, they have gone 5-15 in their last 20 games and look like non-contenders.
There are many possible reasons for this. Manager Aaron Boone could be at fault for not getting the best out of a talented roster over the past five years. General Manager Brian Cashman might be to blame for building a roster that’s again plagued by injuries. The players, including Anthony Volpe, DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, Alex Verdugo, and Jose Trevino, are also underperforming.
However, Aaron Judge’s private hitting coach, Richard Schenck, points to the organization’s player development as the main issue. Amid a disastrous six-game homestand where the Yankees went 1-5 against the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox, Schenck criticized the Yankees on Twitter.
His comments were in response to a YES Network tweet showing Judge’s performance in wins versus losses. Judge performs exceptionally when the team wins but is almost invisible when they lose.
Baseball is not like basketball; it involves contributions from nine players in the lineup and the pitcher. Judge isn’t getting the necessary support from the rest of the lineup for the Yankees to succeed. Schenck’s frustrations were made public for everyone to see.
Aaron Judge’s hitting coach, Richard Schenck, calling out the Yankees highlights a significant issue: the team’s failure in developing hitters. Despite Anthony Volpe having the third-highest WAR among Cashman-era offensive draftees, he and others like Oswald Peraza, Clint Frazier, and Miguel Andújar have struggled or regressed. This criticism from someone close to the franchise’s star player underscores a major organizational flaw that needs urgent attention.
When Boone was asked about it, he said he was unconcerned and that everybody’s entitled to their opinion. That’s quite the diplomatic response, and we don’t expect much else to come of it, but … he should be concerned. The Yankees should be concerned. There are only two players on this team who are currently hitting, and they are among the most talented in the game. They can’t even get another average hitter around them, as everybody else with at least 30 games under their belt has regressed into below-average territory.
It is happening again. Fifth year in a row. What further should be said? What further statistics should you be presented with? This should sound an alarm in the front office, but it’s now considered white noise because everyone’s eardrums have blown out so long ago.
