Perspectives: Stats, Facts, Rumors, and Reality

By Paul Semendinger

July 9, 2026

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In a column here the other day, EJ Fagan wrote, "The core Yankees problem is that, with a single exception, the team has been completely unable to develop major league hitters."

A reader responded, "that particular statement is untrue" and later cited Gary Sanchez and Miguel Andujar as two examples to prove his own point that the Yankees develop Major League hitters.

First, EJ was spot on. He was correct. He was making the point that the Yankees have not developed any hitters that have been able to sustain Major League success and help the team. It's been Aaron Judge. Just Aaron Judge. Only Aaron Judge.

The great minor leaguers they hyped and promised would be stars did not turn out to be stars. Sure, the Yankees have developed some flash-in-the-pan types with some initial success, but outside of Judge, nothing sustaining.

The only hitter of merit that the Yankees have developed who has had any type of staying power in the last 10 years has been Aaron Judge. To deny this is foolish and is grasping at straws to try to paint the Yankees in a positive light.

Also, it must be noted, that Aaron Judge has his own batting coach outside of the Yankees. This coach has been working with Judge since 2016-17. Since he's a Yankee, we will give the Yankees credit for Aaron Judge, but even that is a bit of a stretch.

Since 2017, the Yankees have used the following hitting coaches on the Major League squad: Alan Cockrell, Marcus Thames, P.J. Pilittere, Dillon Lawson, Casey Dykes, Hensley Meulens, Pat Roessler, James Rowson, and Jake Hirst. Either a whole bunch of supposed experts on hitting are failing (or have failed) or the Yankees simply do not draft players who can hit at the big league level.

Or, there is a third possibility - the problem is with the team's philosophy which comes from the General Manager and is implemented by the manager.

It seems clear that the way the Yankees run their organization in relation to developing hitting is not working. At all.

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To cite Gary Sanchez as an example of a hitter is also a stretch. Sanchez played six seasons as a Yankee. He averaged less than 2.0 WAR a season in New York. He batted under under .205 three different seasons. Overall, as a Yankee, Sanchez had an OPS+ of 113, slightly above average, but certainly not what one would call a productive hitter. If this is the second best hitter the Yankees have developed in this period, after Aaron Judge- one that hasn't even been a Yankee since 2021 - there is a problem.

The other example, Miguel Andujar played for the Yankees for parts of six seasons with an overall OPS+ of 104. Over those six seasons he accumulated a total of 1.2 WAR. That's just not good. He hasn't been a Yankee since 2022.

If those are the best examples of hitters the Yankees developed, again, that's a problem.

Now, some will cite Ben Rice as a positive hitter developed by the Yankees. And, to date, they're correct. Rice is the second hitter they seem to have developed. I hope he continues in this fashion. But, even if we give them Rice (assuming he remains a good hitter) the track record in this department is still very poor.

I get the desire for fans to try to prop up the team. Fans love the Yankees no matter what. Some fans can see no wrong. But, please don't dispute real facts with bad information.

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The sad reality is that a much longer list can be created of supposed players that were absolutely supposed hit in the big leagues with the Yankees.

Why haven't those hitters been successful?

In short, that's a lot of failed promise.

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Even players who come to the Yankees who supposedly can hit, don't often hit.

What former MVP came to the Yankees, has played nine seasons with the club, and has averaged 1.2 WAR per season?

Giancarlo Stanton.

Something is wrong here.

Some fans will deny this reality. That's their prerogative. But, denying the truth doesn't render the facts wrong or inconsequential.

For the Yankees to get better, they need to confront this reality.

The only two leaders to remain in charge during this period are Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone. They are the common denominator.

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Every season I hope upon hope that the Yankees will do things differently and put together a quality team that plays good baseball. That doesn't happen. It has not happened during the Aaron Boone Era.

When the Yankees fall into the same patterns year-after-year, it is an inditement of the system.

I would love to write positive articles about the Yankees, but the Yankees do not give me positive things to write about right now.

The fact that they play horrible baseball for months at a time, every year, speaks volumes to the way the organization is run.

Some fans make excuses for this every single year, every single time. I cannot make excuses. I expect better from the Yankees.

Every Yankees fan should expect better.

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There is an old saying that being a weatherman on the news is the best job one can have. "Where else can you get things wrong day-after-day and year-after-year and keep your job?"

We now need to add to that saying.

If you're the manager of the Yankees or the general manager, you also have that same job security.

And if you're a fan of the Yankees who cares about seeing the team actual play good baseball, all of this is bad news.

This is a terrible look for what was once the proudest and greatest franchise in the sport.

This is Exhibit A (and B, C, D, E, and F) on the impact of poor leadership. That poor leadership extends to Hal Steinbrenner who refuses to confront what has been a problem for years.

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Truth be told, when Brian Cashman suggested that Aaron Boone, with no leadership experience anywhere be hired as the Yankees manager, that should have been the signal for Hal Steinbrenner to fire him and start fresh.

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Both Joel Sherman and Michael Kay reported "rumors" that Anthony Volpe refused to play any position other than shortstop in the minor leagues this year.

Michael Kay has since walked back that story.

But, what is true is that Anthony Volpe did not play second base when he was in the minors.

Whether that was the Yankees allowing the player to call the shots, or the Yankees being so inflexible that they didn't try him at another position leads, in the end, to the same result.

Anthony Volpe is not a Major League shortstop. Whether by his own design or the organization's, the fact that they have not sought to find a position other than shortstop for Volpe is a problem.

The Yankees play all sorts of players out of position in Major League games. Yet, they can't try Anthony Volpe at another position in the minors?

There is something very wrong with all of this. It makes no sense from a baseball perspective.

Is Anthony Volpe an athlete? If so, shouldn't he be able to gain experiences at other positions? Is the Yankees' philosophy that Anthony Volpe is only a shortstop? How does any of this make any sense when they move players all of the time?

Just think of the players the Yankees have moved off their regular positions in the last few years. Gleyber Torres (another player who was supposed to be great) was moved from short to second. IKF was tried as an outfielder. Oswaldo Cabrera also. Jazz Chisholm was tried at third base - twice. Oswald Peraza was played out of position. Jasson Dominguez is moved all over the outfield. Ben Rice has been made into a first baseman. The list goes on and on.

In the minors, George Lombard, Jr. is supposedly the next great shortstop in the system. He's playing all over the infield. If he can be moved, why can't Volpe?

The bottom line isn't that Anthony Volpe did or didn't demand to play shortstop and refuse to move. The bottom line is that the Yankees refuse to seek a position where he can play better or where, he can, at least provide the team with more flexibility to help out the roster.

There is an Anthony Volpe problem with the Yankees. This is also obvious and clear.

Like so much, this seems to be an organizational failure.

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I keep reading that the Yankees need to get a new owner. That, my friends, isn't happening.

Hal Steinbrenner was born in 1969. He isn't yet even 60-years-old. He is a young man still. He's a young owner.

There is no way he would sell the Yankees. Why would he? His net worth goes up every year. According to Forbes he is worth $1.7 billion dollars.

See the chart. If your bank account grew like this year to year, would you sell the team? I wouldn't. Hal Steinbrenner owns the greatest franchise in sports. Of course he isn't selling.

What he needs to do is bring in better baseball people. What he needs to do is show the fans that he cares. But sell? No way.

From: https://www.forbes.com/profile/hal-steinbrenner/

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Finally, as I mentioned on the SSTN Podcast, I believe it was Tim Kabel on these pages, a few years ago that coined the phrase, "Boone Swoon."

I wish those that first borrowed those words gave Tim the credit he deserves as it is now part of the vernacular.

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Finally, to all writers, bloggers, reporters, sportscasters, announcers, writers, podcasters, and the like - thanks for coming to SSTN. If you're going to take or borrow our ideas or our points, please credit the writer and this site. That's the right thing to do.