Aaron Boone sat Ben Rice for Paul Goldschmidt in the Yankees’ 4-2 loss despite a right-handed starter being on the bump for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Since the return of Giancarlo Stanton, these two have a similar number of plate appearances against right-handed pitching despite a massive discrepancy in OPS.
Goldschmidt has a .615 OPS and 73 wRC+ versus righties on the season, slugging a pitiful .327 while Ben Rice has a 128 wRC+ in these matchups.
Rice struggles against lefties, whom Goldy has absolutely massacred for a 209 wRC+ on the season, but Aaron Boone has once again showed his troubling attachment to certain veterans, and it could cost his team some wins in a freefall.
Where the Yankees Continue to Go Wrong With Playing Time
Aaron Boone’s inability to shake certain position groups up baffles me; his undying attachment to certain veterans has continued to create clear tactical errors for teams such as the Rays to exploit.
With the team on the verge of slipping out of a playoff spot if they don’t turn it around fast, the Yankees need their manager to use his goodwill with the clubhouse to get Paul Goldschmidt to buy-in on a platoon.
Your manager will not win you or lose you 5+ games a season, but this decision to not platoon his first basemen could be costing his team a win or two during this freefall.
Last season we saw this unwillingness to try a different strategy when Alex Verdugo, who had a 56 wRC+ from June 15th onward, wasn’t challenged for playing time by Trent Grisham, who had a 111 wRC+ over that same stretch.
How about when Aaron Boone back in 2019 carried Didi Gregorius (-0.5 WAR) on the playoff roster instead of Luke Voit as a DH option or Tyler Wade for more speed and defense at the shortstop position in 2019?
You can’t forget that he also decided to give DJ LeMahieu more starts than Ben Rice last August when the first base position was a disaster, cutting into important development time for a veteran who was similarly ineffective.
Baseball and it’s unpredictable nature can be harsh for decision-makers, but this kind of stuff should fall squarely on Aaron Boone.
I don’t need him to throw a chair around, I don’t need him to “be tough”, I don’t need him to criticize his players to the media.
None of these things have any effect on winning if done to appease fans, and as he put it, the Yankees do not care what the fans want in that regard (which is a stance I agree with).
This isn’t about appeasing fans though; it’s about winning and understanding that you’re putting the team at a disadvantage by continuing to not adopt a first base platoon.
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Aaron Boone needs to make the call that’s best for the Yankees in the midst of a spiral, he needs to make this decision if he wants winning to be viewed as his priority.
If Paul Goldschmidt or the clubhouse can’t handle this, then they should have won more games to avoid ever having to be in a dire position this season.
They’ve lost the right to spend more time “figuring stuff out”, it’s now or never, and the Yankees need to break this troublesome trend of mindlessly succumbing to the needs of an established veteran over what’s best for the team.
I don’t dislike Aaron Boone’s often optimistic demeanor, but I dislike his lineup strategy, and he needs to turn it around or else the Yankees have to consider changing managers this offseason.
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