The New York Yankees have gotten off to a fantastic start. They’ve won five straight series including four coming against teams who made the postseason last year. The offense is much improved from last year and the starting rotation hasn’t missed a beat. However, the Yankees defense must be better going forward. In 16 games, the Yankees have committed an error in 11 of them. This kind of play on defense isn’t going to get the Yankees back to the World Series. If the Yankees want to get back to the World Series, then they must be better on defense.
The Yankees Defense Has Gotten Of To A Bad Start
Embed from Getty ImagesThe team who does While the season is still young, the Yankees have committed a total of 15 errors. The only teams to have committed more fielding miscues are the Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox. The Yankees have also committed at least one error in 11 of the past 16 games. On top of that, the Yankees have had multiple games where they’ve committed multiple errors. There have been only five games so far this season where the Yankees have finished with no errors. While the Yankees are missing their best defensive player in DJ LaMahieu, the defense still shouldn’t be this bad!
The Yankees Have Three Former Gold Glove Winners
On the roster, the Yankees infield features three gold glove winners (Anthony Rizzo, Anthony Volpe, and Jose Trevino). Anthony Rizzo and Jose Trevino are platinum glove winners as well. It was just two years ago the Yankees were ranked inside the top ten when it came to defense. Aside from Anthony Volpe and Oswaldo Cabrera, the Yankees infield hasn’t changed significantly since 2022. There is no reason why the Yankees should be ranked near the worst defensive teams in baseball.
Yankee Pitchers Induce Lots Of Ground Balls And The Defense Must Execute
Embed from Getty ImagesDue to Yankee Stadium being a hitter-friendly ballpark, New York often tries to sign pitchers with a high ground ball rate. So far this season, Yankee pitchers have a 43.3 percent ground ball rate. This makes it crucial for the Yankee defense not to commit fielding miscues on ground balls. All the Yankees are doing is making their pitchers throw more pitches and adding pressure to get outs. They are already missing Gerrit Cole and their bullpen is pretty thin with multiple relievers nursing injuries. These factors make it even more important for the Yankees infield to start playing better defense.
All The Defensive Miscues Are Beginning To Badly Hurt
Embed from Getty ImagesIf the Yankees’ terrible defensive play continues, it’s going to cost them games. It already recently prevented them from sweeping the Cleveland Guardians. These are the types of losses that can destroy positive momentum. While they haven’t lost a series yet, it won’t be long before poor defensive play will hurt the Yankees at the worst time. There is nothing worse in baseball than losing a game because of a fielding miscue.
The Yankee Defense Must Rise To The Occasion
Embed from Getty ImagesIt’s going to be another tight race in the AL East. The Orioles are hungrier than ever to win and nobody should count out the Rays. The last thing the Yankees should be doing is handing playoff-contending teams extra outs. Teams that are serious about winning a championship thrive when those situations happen. Poor defensive play isn’t going to get the New York Yankees back to the World Series. The Yankees have plenty of great defenders in their infield, it’s more than time for them to show it.
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