Andres Chavez
Despite that late Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s double in the bottom of the ninth to put the winning run at the plate against the Miami Marlins on Sunday night, the bottom of the lineup has been a problem for the AL East-leading New York Yankees so far this year. From one through five, it’s an elite offense. After that? Not so much.
The Yankees ended up losing 7-6, with Chisholm stranded at second and Austin Wells at first because JC Escarra, pinch-hitting for the ice-cold Jose Caballero, struck out on three pitches to end the game.
Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice, and Giancarlo Stanton are all playing well. The problem comes when Stanton’s at-bats end.
The Yankees Lineup Is Top-Heavy
Despite that clutch two-bagger, Chisholm, who is usually the sixth hitter, is off to a slow start, hitting .194 and sporting a poor 49 wRC+. He does have four stolen bases, but hasn’t homered yet and is walking a meager 2.6 percent of the time, while striking out in 31.6 percent of his plate appearances.
Wells struck out twice on Sunday and is hitting just .167 with a 34 wRC+. When he’s in the lineup, he usually hits seventh. He has no homers or steals and is fanning 32.1 percent of the time.
Caballero’s 5 wRC+ speaks for itself. He is throwing away an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime chance of becoming the Yankees’ shortstop once Anthony Volpe returns, but at this rate, New York will probably rush to reinsert the latter in the starting role.
More Consistency Is Needed
McMahon is last on the team with -0.2 fWAR and is sporting a disappointing 31 wRC+, striking out a whopping 37.9 percent of the time. He has been a huge liability and hasn’t come close to justifying his price tag.
Wells and Chisholm should bounce back to some extent, at least, and should become above-average regulars. McMahon and Caballero present more complex cases, though.
The Yankees will need some improvement from these players if they want to keep their AL East dominance over the long haul. The first five hitters can’t do it all.
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