After scoring a combined 36 runs in three games against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Yankees offense has hit a cold stretch against their division foe, the Baltimore Orioles. The Bronx Bombers have been held to two runs over the last two games entering Wednesday night’s action, their worst stretch of the season thus far.
“It’s baseball, at the end of the day we’re all grinding, we’re all trying to get some runs on the board,” Juan Soto said (h/t YES Network). “We’re hitting the ball hard, we hit the ball in the gap, they’re making great plays, they’re diving all over the place.”
While a sputtering offense may give some Yankees fans flashbacks to last season, this year is far from the same. This Bronx Bombers team has far more firepower and a rejuvenated approach to the plate this year. Now hitting their first real cold spell of the season, how they respond to this will be very telling of the team assembled.
One thing of note about the Yankees offense, though, is that they lead the league in grounding into double plays. With 36 already in just 31 games and three more Tuesday night, it is a glaring trend that must be addressed.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that hit the ball hard and that happens,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Unfortunately, a lot of the best hitters, especially right-handed hitters, hit into the most double plays.”
For a team that prided itself on elevating the baseball last year, the organizational shift in approach at the plate has been evident this year. After having a 23.9% strikeout rate last season and a 9.3% walk rate, the pinstripes have dropped their strikeout percentage to 19.9% and upped their walk rate to 11.3%, the best mark in the major leagues.
Being more selective at the plate and not chasing outside of the zone has been the biggest step in the Yankees’ development at the plate this year. There are only marginal differences in the hard-hit rate and ground ball rate compared to last season, but the selectiveness is what sets this offense apart.
According to Fangraphs, the Yankees have an o-swing% of 23.8%. This is the percentage of pitches New York swings at that is outside the strike zone.
Last season, that mark was 26.9%, showing an emphasis on swinging at hittable pitches in the strike zone.
Even more importantly, the Bronx Bombers have been punishing any pitch in the strike zone, with a z-contact of 86.7%, up from 83.8% last season. Z-contact% is the percentage in which the Yankees hitters swing and make contact with pitches in the strike zone, also showing improvement from last season.
While the analytics don’t exactly jump off the page as a massive difference from last season, the marginal adjustments and being able to remain healthy set the Yankees up for a more successful season than last year. So while the offense may have hit a skid in the road, Boone is staying steadfast to the team approach at the plate.
“That’s a classic example of why you play 162, because it doesn’t always bounce your way,” he said. “You know, it’s one of those things, we gotta score a little more, try and get a victory tomorrow.”
