In the end, the decision for Yankees manager Aaron Boone about whom to start in left field as the team begins its showing in the AL Divisional Series against the Royals on Saturday was not so much a matter of choosing between a sparkling young prospect in Jasson Dominguez and a trustworthy veteran in Alex Verdugo. No, it was more about damage control.
Fact is, during his one-game call-up in August and his stint with the Yankees to close the season, Dominguez just did not hit that well. And because he is more of a center fielder who has struggled to handle the switch to left field, he would have needed to put up big numbers at the plate to persuade Boone to live with his adventures in the field.
In 67 big-league at-bats this year, Dominguez has hit .179 with a .303 on-base percentage and a .304 slugging mark. That was never going to win Boone’s trust.
And so, as Andy Martino of SNY first reported, the Yankees will start Verdugo in left field on Saturday, as they face Royals righthander Michael Wacha.
Jasson Dominguez Could Still Start in the Playoffs
Martino writes, though, that the Yankees have not ruled out starting Dominguez, a switch hitter, at some point in the series over Verdugo, a lefty. The Royals are slated to start Cole Ragans, their ace lefty, on Sunday for Game 2, though Ragans in the only lefty in the Kansas City rotation.
Wrote Martino: “Now we know how the team will open its postseason run: by starting Alex Verdugo against Kansas City in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday, according to league sources briefed on the team’s plans.
“The decision does not mean that Jasson Dominguez will never start in the postseason; the Yanks will take it game by game in deciding which of their two left fielders to play.”
While Dominguez did not hit well in his stint down the stretch in September, Verdugo is coming off his worst year in the big leagues, hitting .233 on the year with a .291 on-base percentage and a .356 slugging percentage. All three stats represented career lows for Verdugo.
Yankees Have More Trust in Alex Verdugo
Among Yankees backers, the decision to sit Dominguez and play Verdugo as the starter was met, predictably, with scorn.
Both Boone and GM Brian Cashman have been consistent in saying that the team has more trust in Verdugo at this point, especially with Dominguez’s fielding struggles and his age (he is only 21).
As Cashman told reporters last month: “Jasson is doing everything he needs to do right now, and Verdugo is playing better baseball recently. The evaluations that we’re having with our field staff and player development staff and front-office staff is just, ‘What is going to give us the best chance to win?’
“As of right now, we’re staying with what we’ve got, but we’re always in the position to change our minds at some point, too.”
Generally speaking, though, Yankees fans are not particularly keen on Verdugo, and have long been more interested in the new guy.
“This is unfortunately completely unsurprising,” wrote “Addison,” (@YankeeWRLD) on Twitter/X.
@UpToTheMinuteFF wrote, “Clown show. I swear to god this makes 0 sense. Start Grisham if you want defense. Either way, your untouchable prospect sits on the bench.”
And Rick Myles (@Domedog311) wrote, “Who couldn’t see that coming? I fully expect Boone to have an awful series.”
Fact is, the Yankees do not really have a left fielder they trust, so whatever decision Boone made would have been criticized. But he just trusts Verdugo more.
Like Heavy.com’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy.com
The post Yankees Get Backlash on Final Alex Verdugo Playoff Decision appeared first on Heavy.com.