The New York Yankees can’t seem to get it right. David Ortiz, the Boston Red Sox legend who retired this season after spending his entire career with the team, has some advice for them because he knows all about chemistry. However, one thing that might be difficult is rebuilding their culture.
David Ortiz, a former Red Sox player and current Boston-based broadcaster, ripped the New York Yankees for their cultural problems during an interview with ESPN. Ortiz said that the Yankees need new chemistry to beat the Astros in the World Series after they lost to them last year.
Highlights of the article:
- The New York Yankees, according to Boston Red Sox icon Ortiz, David, have cultural and chemistry concerns.
- Given the Yankees’ personality and lack of discipline, Ortiz may be onto something.
- Expect nothing to change in New York in the near future.
David Ortiz, a Boston Red Sox great, isn’t happy that the New York Yankees haven’t won a World Series in 12 years.
Perhaps the three-time World Series winner is amused by his close pal Alex Rodriguez’s old team’s inconsistency in the playoffs. Nonetheless, Ortiz was gracious enough to provide some counsel to the Yankees, and it has nothing to do with their financial situation this winter.
In a recent interview, David Ortiz criticized the New York Yankees’ culture.
David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox (L) isn’t a fan of New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole or the team’s chemistry | Maddie Meyer/Getty Images; Omar Rawlings/Getty Images
Those who followed the Yankees throughout the 2021 season, which finished with a Wild-Card Game defeat to the Red Sox, knew change was on the way. Despite keeping general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone, the Yankees are likely to seek big-name players throughout the summer, notably Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa.
That’s not what Ortiz wants to happen, and it’s not because of any potential bad consequences for the Red Sox. The 10-time All-Star noted in a recent interview with the New York Post that the Yankees have structural issues that go beyond who bats where in the lineup.
“They don’t need any more players.” They’re in desperate need of fresh chemistry. They’ve got the skills. The synergy, on the other hand, stems from the skill. Even if you have the finest skills, you won’t win if you don’t have synergy.”
David Ortiz
Because Ortiz played for the Red Sox, don’t dismiss his analysis. Keep in mind that he won titles with a 2004 team that dubbed itself “idiots” and a 2013 squad that rallied around Boston after a domestic terrorist attack during the marathon that year.
Ortiz may be onto something, based on the Yankees’ previous off-field issues.
Let’s play devil’s advocate and say Ortiz is 99.9% accurate about the Yankees’ chemistry being a hindrance. We’ll deduct 0.01 percent for any mistakes made by Gary Sanchez behind the plate.
Sanchez, in particular, is a good illustration of the Yankees’ potential culture concerns. He and shortstop Gleyber Torres have a bad tendency of not running out ground balls and making sloppy fielding mistakes. Sanchez was benched by the Yankees’ former manager, Joe Girardi, in 2017 after a string of passed balls.
Boone, on the other hand, has resisted penalizing either player. After removing Torres from a game against the Baltimore Orioles in the eighth inning in September 2021, the former third baseman justified his choice to start the two-time All-Star the next day.
Boone told reporters, “I spoke to [Torres] after the game last night, and we’ll sort of leave it at that.” “It’s not something I’m intending on doing in the near future.” There were some issues that arose on the previous game night, and I believed it was vital to get him out of there.”
When Aaron Boone was asked whether he had a problem with Gleyber Torres running out a ground ball to third base in the eighth inning last night, he said no.
“Yeah, a little bit.” pic.twitter.com/vBUO2t1L7l
September 15, 2021 — Yankees Videos (@snyyankees)
Sanchez and Torres aren’t the only ones who believe Ortiz’s claim is valid. According to NJ.com, Yankees ace Gerrit Cole got in the face of veteran outfielder Brett Gardner earlier this year after the latter had pine tar on his cap. After Major League Baseball outlawed medications that the four-time All-Star supposedly took, Gardner, the longest-tenured active Yankee, sought to make Cole laugh.
Cole is said to have apologized to Gardner a day later, and the two have since moved on. According to NJ.com, Yankees outfielder Joey Gallo, who was acquired in the middle of the season, had a fastidious pregame dressing regimen.
“Me: I’m getting dressed right now. Gallo, who hit.160 with 88 strikeouts in 58 games with the Yankees, responded by tweeting, “Media: Yup, that’s why he stinks.”
The Yankees are willing to keep dealing with the same problems.
Fortunately for Ortiz and the Red Sox, the Yankees look willing to continue with the same core and problems. Boone will be back as manager in 2022 for his fifth season, while Cashman, the Yankees’ general manager since 1998, will not be replaced.
We can sit here and argue whether the Yankees should sign Correa or Max Scherzer to lead the rotation, or deal Sanchez for a bird that doesn’t produce eggs. The fact is that the Yankees, who haven’t finished with a losing record since 1992, are stuck in neutral because they’re content with their current condition.
Torres knows he’ll be back in the lineup the next day if he doesn’t run out a ground ball in 2022. Despite his history of missing in important games, Cole and his $324 million deal are secure.
The Tampa Bay Rays, who are seriously contemplating dividing their home games between Florida and Canada, are a more constant and steady challenger than the Yankees. Baseball nowadays is odd.
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RELATED: David Ortiz says his friendship with Alex Rodriguez extends back to their Red Sox-Yankees days: ‘I hate seeing people struggle.’
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