Follow The Leader?

Foundering Yankees need someone to step up and take charge




By: Russ Rose
Special to Yankees Talk Shop
April 19, 2004

After spending an off-season that saw the Yankees obtain the services of Alex Rodriguez, Kevin Brown, Javier Vasquez and Paul Quantrill, among others, the organization finds itself in a position that no one thought they’d be in. After today’s 5-4 come-from-ahead loss to the Boston Red Sox the Yankees find themselves in third place. They’re looking up at Baltimore (+2 games) and Boston (+1.5 games). In fact, they’re leaving Boston after losing three of four games in a fashion that prompts the question. Where’s the heart of this team? Where’s the leadership?

Granted there have only been 13 games played up to this point, but these 13 games have been very telling. There is no one steering the ship. No one is stepping up and leading by example. The combined batting average of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield is a paltry .221. Between the four highest paid players they have 5 home runs and 23 RBI. That’s .385 home runs and 1.77 runs per game. Hardly MVP numbers are they?

Last year, for better or worse, George Steinbrenner named Derek Jeter captain of the Yankees. It is a title that was last held by Don Mattingly. So Captain Jeter where is the lead by example? Jeter is batting .241 with 4 RBI and 0 home runs. His combined OBP and SLG% is a whopping .659. Jason Giambi almost equals that with his OBP alone at .510. I’m not just singling out Jeter either. A-Rod has been even more dismal. He has an average of .160 with 1 home run and 3 RBI. His combined OPS is .558. Rodriguez has the worst average amongst the regular players. Jason Giambi may be on the verge of getting untracked. He has a total OPS of .941 thanks in large part to the 15 walks he has already accumulated this season. That total is nearly twice that of the next leading players with 8 apiece. His home run in the finale of the Yankees-Red Sox series broke an 0-11 streak. However, he went hitless in his final two at bats. Gary Sheffield, who came to the Yankees after having a monster year with the Atlanta Braves, has fizzled along with his fellow highly paid teammates. Although he has the most RBI and highest average among the four stars Sheffield, for the most part, has failed along with his celebrated teammates.

The most productive player on the Yankees right now is Jorge Posada. Po has a .256 average with 5 home runs, 12 RBI and an OPS of 1.093. Posada isn’t paid nearly what the others are being paid and he has the toughest position on the team. So what’s the excuse?

Today’s game is a prime example of a foundering team. After beating the BoSox the day before 7-3 the Yankees had an excellent opportunity to come away with the split. They had their best pitcher in Kevin Brown going up against a guy whose ERA was 8.53 before today’s start. The Yankees started out very promising building to a 4-1 lead after three innings. Brown, who has been nothing short of brilliant in his first three starts, was vulnerable as the Red Sox line up was able to get hits (9) and runs (4) off him today. Be that as it may the game of baseball is a two-way street. Sometimes the pitching has to pick up for a struggling offensive performance and sometimes the reverse has to happen. Today, neither took place. Brown got roughed up and his offense couldn’t get him out of trouble. Nine times out of ten when you stake a guy like Brown to a 4-1 lead you’re going to walk out of the park with a win. However, today wasn’t one of those nine chances. So once KB got into trouble how did the rest of the team react? They folded like a cheap suit. Poor play in the field and hitless bats at the plate sealed the Yankees fate. It was a game that a Yankees team from years past wouldn’t have allowed to be given away.

This team has no spark, no heart and no life right now. It is just going through the motions. This team needs a leader. How much better would this team be with a fiery player like Paul O’Neill on the bench? That guy was the heart and soul of the Yankees’ recent championship teams. He could put the team on his back and carry it. Now it appears we have no one to light that fuse. When is Captain Derek Jeter going to get it going? When is he going to hold people accountable for poor play? If not Jeter, then who will step up? The Yankees are a runaway ship without anyone tilling the rudder. It is a team that is steaming in circles. Somebody had better grab the wheel before it crashes into the docks. All it takes is one guy to get it going. No one expects the Yankees to go 162-0, but you sure expected them to be better than 6-7 didn’t you?

We have all heard the expression that a baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. True enough, but in both cases you have to be running forward. Right now this team is running in place. So get out of the blocks Yanks before you get lapped.


PLAY BALL!



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