Not many baseball fans outside of the Boston Red Sox faithful (They are wired to think this way!) saw the New York Yankees possibly struggling to their worst record in this century.
To the Yankees faithful, conversations center around having enough talent to start a winning streak to nab a wild card spot to injuries all season, particularly reigning MLBbro MVP Aaron Judge.
While those are theories and hot takes, the reality surrounding the New York Yankees is that they are getting closer to missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season with each passing day. An eight-game losing streak and nine losses in 10 games is not helping matters either.
Before the eventual series sweep against the Red Sox, Yankees manager Aaron Boone discussed a meeting that he was a part of with general manager Brian Cashman and team owner Hal Steinbrenner about the current status of the team and the future.
Aaron Boone said he met with Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman a couple of days ago. He said they discussed the direction of the organization. He admitted that they’re all frustrated by the Yankees’ performance.
With discussions of bringing up young prospects from the minors, the Yankees might be waving the white flag, which is against the Yankees fanbase’s religion based on the franchise’s 27 World Series championships.
Based on how things are going for this franchise and their stellar reputation for winning, when September comes, the conversation will turn to who’s to blame for this abysmal season.
Right now, three names will be caught in the crossfire…
Hal Steinbrenner: Son of the late George Steinbrenner and current owner of the New York Yankees.
Can’t fire the owner as they say. The reason he is on this list is due to a statement he had in June…
Hal Steinbrenner said he is “a little confused” as to why Yankees fans are so angry in the third week of June: https://t.co/KOkpmoDOGw
With one of the highest payrolls in baseball with underwhelming results Aaron Judge or not, Steinbrenner’s statement will be replayed like a reality show the second the Yankees are officially eliminated from the playoffs. At least until there are follow up questions.
Brian Cashman: General manager of the New York Yankees since the 1998 season. His resume contains six American League pennants and four World Series Championships.
“Now Brian Cashman’s greatest quality as general manager, or one of his greatest qualities, would be I would say, that he is a survivor,” Ken Rosenthal said on his podcast called Fair Territory. “He will survive this. The question is what does he do to make things better? How does he turn this around? And if I’m Hal Steinbrenner, I’m saying to Brian Cashman, ‘Okay, you’re going to stay this is one bad year.’ One losing year at least, I know there have been other disappointing years recently, but ‘Brian you’ve got to tell me now, how are things going to change, because things have to change.’”
Like his boss, Cashman has to stand by a statement that will haunt him in a few weeks. After doing very little at the trade deadline, he stated that the team was “In it to win it”. Since August 1, the Yankees went 5-13.
Aaron Boone: Yankees manager since 2018. Led the team to over 100 wins in his first two seasons. No World Series appearances.
The Yankees manager probably will be gone particularly if Cashman survives. His management style has put him on the hot seat due to decisions with the bullpen, lineups, in-game adjustments (Basically everything the job entails!) while the losses pile up.
How can the MLBbros turn this around and more importantly…who will do it?
Replace Aaron Boone with Willie Randolph:
MLBbro.com had a list of MLBbro contenders for managerial jobs late last season and Willie Randolph was on the list. His managerial experience with the New York Mets makes him perfect for this situation.
He led the Mets to a NL East Division title before falling in a seven-game battle to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS in 2005.
Willie Randolph is the first manager in MLB history to improve his team’s record by at least 12 games in his first two seasons with the team.
He’s a Yankees great so he is equipped to handle the pressure of turning this team around while understanding the culture of the fanbase to the front office. Something that is going to be important over the next few seasons as the team sheds bad contracts.
The Yankees are going to have to start developing young talent and for that to happen, they need a steady hand at manager to do so. Randolph is that guy.
Fire Brian Cashman and replace him with Derek Jeter (If he says no…go back and beg!):
They called the man “The Captain” …
Why Not Jeter?
The New York Yankees need a new voice and leadership and no one really on the planet can take over the front office and bring trust of the fanbase back quicker than Derek Jeter.
As the part owner and front office executive of the Miami Marlins, he was one of the franchise’s only bright spots. Now that he left for philosophical reasons (Jeter wanting to win and the team wanting to save money!), going to a team that has a blank checkbook and similar goals to building a team would be perfect for all parties involved.
Meanwhile the Yankees are mired in their worst losing streak since 1995. They could have their first losing season since 1992 all while having the second highest payroll in baseball. Time will tell if Cashman and Boone are released and if these qualified MLBbro icons get a chance.
As one of the most popular players during his MLB career, news that Yankee legend Derek Jeter was a member of an ownership group that purchased the Miami Marlins in 2017, was very intriguing to the sports world.
Marlins fans, and talking heads around the game were optimistic that the Hall of Fame shortstop would bring his five-ring, championship swag to a franchise suffering through seven consecutive losing seasons.
One of the greatest winners Major League Baseball has ever seen, hired to bring a struggling franchise back to relevancy. What could go wrong?
DJ assumed the role of CEO and immediately shook up the room, firing previous president David Samson.
Outside of a 2020 NLDS appearance, the tenure of Jeter was largely underwhelming, compiling a 218-327 record in four seasons at the helm, ultimately leading to his resignation.
Now, six years later, Samson took the time to let the world know how he really feels about Derek Jeter’s tenure as CEO.
Via: Front Office Sports Podcast:
“Derek Jeter was the perfect person to buy a team because he didn’t use his money.
And he had someone in the name of Bruce Sherman who let him do anything he wanted with absolutely no accountability. And if you can get that kind of job, you might as well go get it,” Samson said.
“He was able to bring in all his own people, and he thought that everything that I did was bad. So, he erased anything I had done, and figured he could do “Costanza”, which is the opposite day. Anything I did, he did the opposite and assumed it would work.
He assumed that he could get a bigger TV deal. He assumed he could get a big naming rights deal, that he’d get tons of season-ticket holders, that he would make the team a winning team.
And after four years, I think he realized that being a shortstop and being an executive are two totally different things.
… And I think he realized quickly that being a pitchman for Subway was probably going to be more up his alley than running the team every day and being accountable for that.”
It’s very clear Samson is no fan of “The Captain”. Jeter, well known for dodging public feuds during his career and could teach a public relations masterclass for athletes, likely won’t clap back publicly.
Despite Samson’s scathing critique, DJ’s reign wasn’t all bad.
Hiring Kim Ng, the first female GM in professional sports and overseeing the trade for MLBbro Jazz Chisolm Jr., from the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019 were a few highlights.
The Miami Marlins, currently sit in third place in the NL East at 10-9 early this season.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are currently in the rebuilding phase, as they look to continue to add quality pieces to their roster, while developing the ones they already have. One of those pieces is shortstop Jordan Lawlar who was taken sixth overall in the 2021 MLB Draft. The rangy-but-compact prospect stands six-foot-two with a short, compact, powerful swing.
His approach at the plate is reminiscent of baseball Hall of Famer and former New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter. Lawlar’s athleticism stands out, but it’s his aptitude and approach that had Diamondbacks farm system director Josh Barfield already calling the young Lawlar the best base stealer in the D-Backs organization.
Lawlar is on the fast track and he’s only 20 years old. He’s considered one of the most talented prospects in all of baseball. He ranks as Arizona’s No.2 prospect, and MLB Pipeline’s No.11 ranked prospect.
Arizona Diamondbacks Have Talented Young Nucleus Brewing
‘King’ Jordan Lawlar, Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Druw Jones give the D-Backs a very talented nucleus of players for their future.
Jordan Lawlar will be starting the 2023 season with the Amarillo Sod Poodles. The infielder played in the Futures Game this past season. pic.twitter.com/1R2UoD5N71
Lawlar was the 2021 Gatorade Texas High School Player of the Year, and he’s already made it to the Double-A ranks in two short seasons. Armed with a compact right-handed swing, and the innate ability to recognize pitches, Lawlar is able to produce a solid average and high walk rates. Same as Jeter did when he first arrived back in 1996, winning Rookie of the Year honors.
Some of Lawlar’s other strengths give off strong “Jeter” vibes; his batting eye, mannerism, approach and potential to be great, and the relentless work he’s put into reaching baseball God-like status before ever stepping on an MLB field. His fielding is super solid at shortstop, and he understands angles and ball pursuit. Lawlar has struggled with his footwork at times, committing 29 errors in 87 games last season, which amounts to one every three games, but his bat more than makes up for that.
Diamondbacks quality control coordinator recently told “The Athletic,” this about his star pupil.
In an effort to fix the error issue, Lawlar was in Arizona in mid-January working with infield coach Tony Perezchica and former Gold Glove shortstop Nick Ahmed. It was all about the fundamentals with them, and Lawlar definitely bought in. Perezchica says it’s about doing the basic stuff first and the rest will take care of itself.
“It’s just the basics for him,” Perezchica says. “But for a player with Lawlar’s physical gifts, “the basics are going to be huge.”
As for Lawlar, he wants to be the best and he’s going to continue to strive just for that.
“I want to be the best player,” Lawlar said. “And you can’t be the best player if you’re making errors and you’re not playing elite defense.”
Once Lawlar gets better on defense, the call-up will happen in a matter of time, and it’s highly plausible it happens in 2023.
The new MLB pitch clock claimed its first victim in San Diego Padres’ star Manny Machado. The All-Star third baseman was hit with the first violation ever in the Padres-Seattle Mariners Spring Training opener. Machado was assessed an automatic strike after taking too long to get ready for the pitch.
The MLB world had plenty of reaction via social media on the change and how drastically it will affect the game and the routines of hitters, who tend to be creatures of habit and superstition.
Derek Jeter Pulled Into Pitch Clock Reaction
Somehow, Yankees legend Derek Jeter’s name got pulled into the conversation, when former big leaguer Geoff Blum was discussing the impact of the pitch clock.
"Derek Jeter wouldn't survive in this era because you can't put your hand up to call time out!"
“Derek Jeter wouldn’t survive in this era because you can’t put the hand up to call timeout,” Blum said. “They’ve eliminated that.”
Blum was referencing Jeter’s methodical approach to his at-bats, where the five-time World Series champion and Hall of Famer would often put his hand up to buy time in order to get a comfortable dig in the batter’s box.
The pitch clock is all a result of MLB looking to increase the speed of games, giving batters just eight seconds to be ready for the pitch. Even Machado admitted that players will be unaccepting of the new rule at first, which according to MLB sources was also implemented to increase action and excitement in the game.
MLBbro Legend Derek Jeter Joins MLB On Fox Team
Since stepping down as Miami Marlins CEO in February of 2022, Jeter has slowly made his way back to the Bronx where he could eventually serve in an advisory role of some sort. There were rumors that he would return to the BX in a front office capacity after leaving Miami, but that never materialized. But for now, the biggest media splash outside of Michael Irvin’s bizarre hotel tales during Super Bowl 57 week was Jeter being introduced as the next member of the MLB on Fox broadcast team.
Jeter brings years of experience and championship pedigree, where he will join his former frienemy and teammate Alex Rodriguez. The two former poster boys for baseball survived a rift in what was once a close friendship. The fracture started when Rodriguez made some public comments to a magazine that Jeter found disparaging, effectively ending their friendship, which morphed into a rivalry fueled by the media. When A-Rod joined the Yankees, he agreed to move to third base to accomodate Jeter. The tandem managed to win a World Series together in 2009, the Yankees’ last title as a franchise.
Would Pitch Clock Have Hindered Derek Jeter?
As far as Jeter being any less effective with a pitch clock, well, players of Jeter’s all-time caliber adjust to changes in the game. while that one change might create some initial difficulties, Jeter is a poor example to use as a player whose game would suffer because of certain MLB rules changes. Adapt or die is a baseball player’s mantra, so that’s exactly what a 20-year MLB star and face of his generation such as Jeter would do.
Derek Jeter Was “Mr. November” With Most Hits In MLB Playoff History@RobParkerFS1 remembers Yankees Captain #MLBbro Derek Jeter.
He’s also just the third Black Yankees captain in the team’s storied history.
The other two were fan favorite World Series champions Willie Randolph and Hall of Fame Derek Jeter.
Randolph, a second baseman, shared the captaincy for two years with pitcher Ron Guidry in the mid-80s. During his tenure in pinstripes, Randolph was a five-time All Star and helped the team win the 1977 World Series.
Jeter was the second Black captain and the longest tenured overall from 2003–2014. The shortstop was a 14-time All Star and won five championships with the Yankees. Both Randolph and Jeter attended Judge’s introductory media conference after he signed the biggest free-agent contract in MLB history – a nine-year, $360 million deal.
Jeter expects Judge to continue to be himself in his new role.
“I don’t really look at it as a new role,” Jeter told the media when asked about Judge’s new “C.” “Going off my own experience, when The Boss called me, he said, ‘Don’t change anything.’ It’s not like you flip a switch and have to be someone else because you’ve been given this title. I would assume he’s handled himself as a captain up until this point.”
Randolph endorsed Judge’s elevation to captain and expressed that the Yankees made the obvious decision.
“Perfect choice, there’s no other choice to be made,” Randolph said. “I feel like watching this kid over the years he’s become that captain.
“You can see the way he handles himself on and off the field and the way he goes about his business. He’s going to be an outstanding captain and the players already know that.”
Judge is the first captain for the Yankees since 2014, succeeding Jeter.
Judge was among the most sought after free agents this offseason after winning AL MVP and smashing 62 home runs, setting the new American League record.
The Yankees were determined to re-sign their star and make him captain.
Judge weighed in on being officially named the face of the Yankees.
“To get a chance to continue my legacy here in pinstripes, in the best city in the world, the best baseball city, in front of the best fans, this is an incredible honor,” Judge said following the announcement. “This is an incredible honor that I don’t take lightly.”
The trio of Black captains stood together at Judge’s press conference for a historic photograph that acknowledged the greatness that Black players have contributed to the Yankees’ past and present.
All three men had stellar seasons for the Yankees, but what they all share is the ability to conduct themselves as leaders of men on and off the field.
They have been All Stars who led by example and were chosen to be the ambassadors of the Yankees’ organization.
They were also Black men.
No one will say it, but that part is a big deal. In a sport where Black participation decreased at alarming rates, Judge was named the face of the most well-known franchise in MLB history.
Even with dwindling participation in the sport, the Black community has yet again produced another legend in the making in baseball.
San Diego Padres’ star 
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