With a dozen groups within the postseason, it’s straightforward to seek out flaws in nearly all of them, so the Yankees determine to be in fairly fine condition as the highest seed within the American League and having the third-best file within the majors behind the Dodgers and Phillies.
However as one AL scout stated not too long ago, “They’ve acquired a number of guys enjoying the place they don’t belong.”
And that was earlier than Anthony Rizzo went down with two fractured fingers in his proper hand on the penultimate day of the common season, doubtless knocking the primary baseman out of the ALDS.
Requested about the potential for enjoying within the postseason with an inexperienced participant at first, like Ben Rice or Oswaldo Cabrera, Jazz Chisholm Jr. sounded optimistic.
“I’ll nonetheless method [defense] the identical manner and attempt to make each play,” Chisholm stated Wednesday on a Zoom name from the Stadium. “I belief my guys to assist me out if I need assistance.”
Nobody on the present roster, although, is as clean and able to scooping bounced throws out of the grime at first than Rizzo, which he displayed usually after he returned from a fractured arm on Sept. 1 after Rice, Cabrera and DJ LeMahieu — nonetheless nursing a proper hip impingement — crammed in.
“I belief [Cabrera] over there, one hundred pc,’’ Chisholm stated. “He’s a shortstop. That’s how I really feel once I take a look at Rizzo enjoying first base: He seems to be like a shortstop enjoying first base. And Ben is gonna be alright. He’s a catcher. … First base can be nice to have Rizzo, however we now have guys that may deal with it.”
The Yankees are relying on that at a number of spots apart from first base — whether or not it’s doubtlessly trusting Jasson Dominguez in left area, the place he struggled after being referred to as up in September, and even Chisholm, who has a minus-2 Defensive Runs Scored score, in response to Fangraphs — twenty fifth out of 39 third basemen who’ve performed 400 innings this season.
And that’s on high of the truth that Aaron Decide can be higher served in proper area than in heart, the place he ranks because the third-worst fielder amongst these certified.
And Juan Soto was primarily a left fielder till he arrived in The Bronx and was moved to proper area to keep away from the spacious dimensions in left on the Stadium.
None of that stopped the Yankees from holding off Cleveland for the No. 1 seed within the AL, and for probably the most half their bats made up for any deficiencies on protection.
That features Chisholm, particularly.
Since his arrival July 28 from Miami, Chisholm had the 14th-best WAR within the majors, in response to Fangraphs, and solely Decide was larger on the Yankees.
His pace and energy, and lefty bat, will likely be a key to the Yankees success within the playoffs.
And the staff hopes his glove doesn’t damage.
