Despite boasting an impressive record, the New York Yankees roster is far from flawless. One of the biggest challenges throughout the season has been the lack of production in left field, a concern that manager Aaron Boone fully understands as the MLB postseason approaches.
The Yankees’ left fielders are tied for 23rd in the majors with a WRC+ of 84 and rank 21st with 0.6 fWAR, even with Aaron Judge playing five games at that position.
The Yankees had hoped they had fixed their problems in left field by promoting top prospect Jasson Dominguez to the majors. However, Dominguez is hitting .200/.294/.369 with two home runs in 14 games and has been a liability on the field.
Via Max Goodman on X (formerly Twitter), Aaron Boone says it’s possible the Yankees could enter the playoffs and pick who is starting in left field based on matchups day to day. That’s not necessarily how he prefers it (between Domínguez and Verdugo), but it’s on the table. “Both guys can really help us win games in whatever role that may be, whether they’re playing every inning of every game or we’re splitting it.”
Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees celebrates after winning the AL East title against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on September 26, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images)
The clear solution for the Yankees
Although Dominguez is far from perfect, the fact that this is being debated is quite surprising. The reason the Yankees are consistently eliminated early in the postseason has to do with their lagging offense. Dominguez was promoted to the majors to hit. Even Alex Verdugo‘s biggest fan would admit that, at this stage of his career, Dominguez has more potential to help the Yankees offensively than Verdugo.
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Dominguez has two home runs in his last 21 at-bats. Verdugo has two home runs in his last 84 at-bats. You’d have to sift through more than 160 at-bats to find Verdugo’s third-most recent home run. If Verdugo were hitting well, maybe he’d have an argument, but he has just three hits in his last 23 at-bats.
Dominguez’s defense is poor, but Verdugo is in the 43rd percentile with -1 outs above average, according to Baseball Savant. It’s not that he’s exceptional on the field; in fact, that metric suggests he is below average.
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