SSTN Mailbag: 2B Next Year, Lovich's Hot Streak, And The Bullpen!

I started the week feeling really good about the Yankees. Now that the bullpen depth is being tested, I feel...less so. Add in the fact that the Yankees just lost a series to the Astros that they should have won with just cleaner baseball and better decision making and I woke up this morning feeling pretty down about the team. I shouldn't, but I did.

Injuries aren't fun. Losing isn't fun. Losing to the Astros and watching good players get hurt in a series against the Astros is even less fun. Watching George Lombard Jr. become the first Yankee since 1921 to have an error in 6 straight games is genuinely heartbreaking. I'll finish this paragraph of malaise by quoting a friend who asked me last night, "What's a Justin Tropa?"

The reality is that the Yankees remain in decent shape heading into September. They are 4 games back of the sputtering Rays in the AL East. The Red Sox haven't looked as dominant lately. There's still a very clear path to 1st place in the division as September approaches. Oh, and Aaron Judge sure sounds like he'll be back by the 2nd week of September. These are all good, exciting things!

It starts tonight against Boston. A bad series against Boston this weekend could easily send the team into a spiral. A good series will likely propel them to a big September. Obviously, I'm hoping for the latter. Let's cross our fingers.

As always, thanks for the great questions and keep them coming to SSTNReadermail@gmail.com. In this week's SSTN Mailbag, we'll talk about 2B next season, Jackson Lovich, and managing the bullpen! Let's get at it:

Fuster asks: You're the general manager. What would you do at 2b for the beginning of next year?

None of you are going to like where I'm going with this. The free agent options at 2B are incredibly thin. Here are the 3 best options:

• Gleyber Torres

• Luis Arraez

• Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Gleyber Torres is a solid, unspectacular player who controls the strike zone, bats right-handed, and gets on-base. As much as Yankee fans won't like admitting this, on pure merit, Torres fits this roster quite well. That reunion is almost certainly never happening, though. I also think it's likely that rather than aging gracefully, Torres' performance will suddenly fall off a cliff.

Arraez is the guy I know most of you want. His skillset is fascinating and I'm beyond impressed by the way he's turned it around defensively at 2B (seriously, Ron Washington is a HOF infield coach...the list of guys he's taken as awful defenders and turned into Gold Glove winners is insane). We know why everyone likes Arraez: it's an 80-grade hit tool and he now combines that with excellent defense. He isn't a very good baserunner and he has almost no pop, but he is elite in the most critical attribute the Yankees need. I get the appeal, I really do. However, like Torres, he's a guy that when the hit tool goes from 80 to even 65 (which can happen overnight when reaction timing slips even a little), I'm not sure he has any value. The other aspect I don't think enough fans consider is Yankee Stadium itself. It is an awful park for singles and doubles! Putting a pure contact hitter in Yankee Stadium might not translate the same as it does elsewhere. As much fun as Arraez is (and I personally love watching him hit), the logical part of my brain is very hesitant to plunk down real money on him long-term.

Now we arrive at Jazz. Jazz's season has been bad enough that he will almost certainly need a 1-year pillow contract. He also is the most dynamically talented of the players listed above. When he's right, he's a fantastic baserunner, he's got plus pop, he's a Gold Glove fielder, and he is the only guy other than Aaron Judge capable of putting the team on his back for any stretch of time. We've only caught glimpses of it this year, but even in a down year, he's been an average player. If that's the down year, sign me up. I'd take Jazz on a pillow deal.

If Jazz gets long-term offers, I might be out, but I'm not expecting that to happen. Bring back Jazz, keep Volpe in the wings as a utility guy who can start at 2B if Jazz fails, and if worst came to worst, Cabby is still around as well. I'd run it back.

Alan B. asks: Oh, and for Andy, Jackson Lovich has another hit, another RBI, another BB, and yes, another strikeout! Can we live with a guy who hits .350 and has a K Rate of 35%?

Alan and I have both liked Lovich since he entered the system, and he just keeps hitting. He also keeps whiffing at an enormous rate, with whiff rates and in-zone contact rates that seem to be unsustainable. He's an exciting player, though; elite speed, defends well all over the diamond both on the dirt and in the outfield (I'd love to see them leave him in CF), and he has enormous power and bat speed. He also has a good body that is likely to age well.

I, and the rest of baseball, fear that the hit tool will never come around. The big thing I want to see from Lovich as he advances is an ability to lay off soft stuff low and away, something he struggles with right now. It's not hurting him in A+, but it will in AA and AAA. I think the jury is out as to whether this is an experience issue or a pitch recognition issue. If it's the latter, I expect him to fizzle in AA. If he hits when he gets to AA, it means that it's a contact issue combined with approach. That's something that's fixable, and my gut tells me that's more of what's going on.

Lovich is a very interesting prospect; the hit tool has kept him from prospect lists, but I think he's close to proving some doubters wrong.

Brian asks: What would you do with the bullpen for the rest of the year with Weathers, Cruz, etc. out now?

It's getting late early back there. Headrick looks spent, so September can't come at a better time. We also hope Weathers will return in time for the playoffs. I was pleasantly surprised by how MIchael Fulmer looked the other night - that curveball is a hammer. He might be able to soak up some decent innings. Likewise, Tropa looked surprisingly effective last night.

Realistically, I think we have to hope for some starter conversions to go well: Weathers, Warren, and Gil are the 3 guys who might well be expected to throw important bullpen innings in the coming weeks. It's risky, but it has a chance of working. It remains egregious that Cashman didn't acquire bullpen depth at the deadline.