by Paul Semendinger
April 18, 2024
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It's sometimes nice, when you write and run a Yankees web site (and, let's be honest, we're the best one out there - by far) to get a day off with no games. Sure, I wish the Yankees were playing today, but sometimes it's nice to just get a day off.
The day off allows us all to take a deep breath and to look at the team, and the sport, and so much more. In baseball the games come fast and furiously - a never relenting drive to reach 162. It is what I love about the sport. It's always there. The Yankees are a constant companion. They take us through spring and summer and into the fall. The Yankees are like a close friend, always there for you - except, the close friend is still there when it rains and the Yankees, not always.
The day off also gives me a little more time and space to write. We have a ton of content, and each article deserves its own space and time to allow for comments and such so there are times when I have to put my thoughts (or, as I call these columns, "perspectives") on hold. Not today. Today I have some time and space to share...
I am concerned about Anthony Rizzo. E.J. wrote an article on this that we published a few days ago. I had written the same idea in the comments before EJ wrote his column. Rizzo's at bats aren't strong. He is not hitting the ball well. And his defense is, quite bluntly, bad. Part of Anthony Rizzo's strength as a player is the fact that he is an excellent defensive first baseman. He has been anything but that to start 2024. This, of course, can change, but I have to wonder if playing for weeks and weeks with a concussion last year is a contributing factor to this decline and poor performance. Rizzo hasn't just slowed down, he's fallen off a cliff.
Many keep wondering where D.J. LeMahieu will play when he returns to the lineup. The best place for him might be first base, at least against left-handed pitching. We might see a DJ/Rizzo platoon. LeMahieu might also be the defensive replacement for Gleyber Torres who also doesn't look great at second base defensively. That right side of the infield could be a problem for the 2024 Yankees.
If the Marlins have a fire sale, I would love the Yankees to get Luis Arraez. I say this and immediately hear, "His defense is awful." Okay. Right now Gleyber Torres' defense isn't great. If I have to pick between the two, I'll take the guy with two batting titles and a lifetime batting average of .324. Arraez is also only 27-years-old. Sure, I'd rather have Willie Randolph, who could hit and field, but given the choice between Arraez and Torres, I think the better player to help win a 2024 World Series is Arraez.
I am also concerned about Aaron Judge. I know he had a big hit yesterday to help win the game, but that was his only hit in the series. I know he's walking a lot, but, let's be honest - he isn't hitting. And this hasn't just been a few games. We're talking 19 games in 2024. We're three weeks into the season and he's hitting .184. He didn't hit especially well last year after being rushed back to the lineup. This is continuing that trend. He had a core injury in Spring Training. He had a toe that needs "constant attention." Yes, there are concerns there. Absolutely.
I love when fans are super optimistic and they say, "There's nothing to worry about." But when players are coming off concerning injuries (Rizzo and Judge) and they haven't performed since coming back, as much as some want to scream, "He's fine, he's fine, he's fine" the concern exists. It just does. That doesn't make me negative just because I'm stating a truth. The blind optimism is nice, but it's simply not realistic.
The Yankees do not have a good track record of handling their injured players appropriately. That's just a fact. I have to wonder if there are health concerns with Judge and Rizzo they they won't acknowledge, can't acknowledge, refuse to acknowledge, or whatever. Let's hope they both turn it around and this is a concern that goes away.
Had the Yankees lost last night, they'd have woken up today in second place.
I am very sad that John Sterling won't be part of the Yankees radiocasts any longer. Way back in 1989, when I was in college, he was my connection to the team. I could get the games on the radio in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, but I didn't get many TV games. I found his voice perfect for the radio. And I loved his enthusiam and his phrases. "It's going to roll all-the-way-to the wall..." I loved the way he said, "Mattingly." And I loved, and will always love, "It is high, it is far, it is gone!" I used to love to put the radio on at the end of the games to hear, "Yankees win, theeeeeeee Yankeeees WIN!" John was a legend of broadcasting. Absolutely. 100%. I will miss him and his game calling tremendously. For me, a big part of the Yankees has gone away.
To all who didn't like John Sterling, I get it. We know. Just leave it alone. No need here for comments on that. The guy worked at a job he loved (and was loved for his work) until he was 85-years-old, almost 86. It's darn impressive and noteworthy. Okay, some didn't like his mistakes. I actually don't know of any broadcaster who doesn't make mistakes. I just did some quick math - Sterling called over 50,000 innings of Yankees baseball. It's pretty difficult to be perfect for 50,000 innings. My goodness. I hope everyone can find the same love and enjoyment in their jobs as John Sterling found in his. He was great. He is a legend. And he will be greatly missed.
I just signed a contract for the book I am writing about the Battle fo Gettysburg. This books is going to be amazing. I spend hours a day on it. Hours and hours. It's a labor of love. I don't think many people understand how much time it takes to write a book. It takes forever. And then some. But it's worth it. This book is going to be amazing.
If you haven't read 365.2: Going the Distance, my latest book, you should. I keep being told how inspiring and motivating it is. We can all do more than we think. We can. Absolutely. Set high goals, and work to reach them. When to stumble, fall, or fail, get back up and try again. And again. You can do it.
I do have to wonder when they get robo-umpires if they'll have a robo-ump that is programmed to make bad calls so that we still get the occasional umpire who seems to have no clue. They might even name that model after a current umpire still in the game...
Has Juan Soto been everything we've hoped - and more? I am so happy he is a Yankee. The Yankees need to sign him to a mega deal and keep him a Yankee forever. If this is a one-year thing, that'll be terrible. It will be like the one year Reggie Jackson played for the Orioles. Soto needs to be a Yankee for life.
I talked with a security guard who works in the dugouts as a MLB park. He brought up Juan Soto and said what a special player - and person he is.
As the Yankees see their legends, like John Sterling, moving on, and talk centers on Monument Park, it is time for the team to step up, once and for all, and put Roy White and Graig Nettles (among others) out there. There is no good reason not to. Step up Yankees. Do the right thing. Get these players in Monument Park while they are still with us and can appreciate it.
Let's Go Yankees! *** To all writers, columnists, bloggers, TV guys, radio guys, podcasters, media types, broadcasters, and the like - THANKS for coming to Start Spreading the News. If you use our content or our ideas, it is only right to give credit to the site and the authors of the articles. Thank you.
