It’s time for Bobby to play some ball
The phenom has been given a large platform, but has failed to deliver thus far.
What if they held a playoff series, and no stars showed up?
The American League Division Series was hyped as a platform for two of the game’s best players - Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. Each of them also had a second banana in the lineup worthy of the spotlight as well - Juan Soto had a season that would be rewarded with an MVP award in any other season and Vinnie Pasquantino was one of the best RBI men in baseball until a thumb injury cost him the final month of the season.
Through three games in this series, that quartet has combined to hit 6-for-46 (.130) with 1 RBI.
At least the Yankees are getting some production from their big boppers - Judge and Soto have combined for six walks, and Soto had a couple hits in Game 1. Judge has been largely neutralized, much to the seeming disappointment of TBS broadcaster Bob Costas, who excitedly frames the narrative for a big moment with every Judge plate appearance and jumps the gun on routine medium-depth fly balls, only to note with sorrow that the big fella is out.
The Royals have gotten virtually nothing from their dynamic duo - Witt’s eighth-inning single in Game 3 was the first hit by either of them. Bobby and Vinnie, the young pulse of this lineup, have combined to go 1-for-25 (.040) with 10 strikeouts. The boys are not playing some ball.
For Vinnie, he may still be suffering the effects of his thumb fracture, an injury he sustained just six weeks ago. The post-season is a small sample size of just five games, but his hard-hit rate is down from 45.8 percent in the regular season to 41.7 percent in the post-season, and his average exit velocity is down from 91 mph to 88.3 mph. In the eighth inning of last night’s game, Pasquantino hit a soft line drive out with Bobby Witt Jr. at first. Does a healthier Vinnie punch that through for a single?
But for Bobby, the struggles are a bit more mystifying. In Game 1, he had some bad luck - he smokes a ball 397 feet with an expected batting average of .940 and it’s an out. Later he hits one 328 feet that had an expected batting average of .540, but again, it’s caught. In the ninth he takes two borderline low pitches* for strikes and is punched out. It happens.
*-not strikes
In Game 2, he strikes out three times. Carlos Rodón gets him to swing at a fastball outside the zone in the first. Ian Hamilton gets him to swing at a slider way off the plate. Bobby swings at a Clay Holmes sinker that nearly hits the ground for his third strikeout of the day. You sense he is pressing a bit, trying too much to make things happen.
In Game 3, he gets a steady diet of sweepers and sinkers off the outside part of the plate, which has been his weakness all season. But there are signs he is snapping out of it. His first-inning fly out - a 368-foot drive that is a home run in ten other parks (including Yankee Stadium!) is a long out at Kauffman. In the eighth he finally picks up his first hit of the series, handling a pitch low and away to smack a “groundball with eyes” through the hole at shortstop.
His legs get him to third on a single by Salvy.** But ultimately the rally would fall short.
**-Should he have attempted to steal second? Remember that Bobby was caught stealing 12 times this year - only two players in baseball were caught more. Yankees reliever Luke Weaver is one of the best pitchers in baseball at stopping the running game. Sending Bobby also potentially takes the bat out of the hands of Salvador Perez - perhaps the Yankees just intentionally walk Salvy, a risky move to put the winning run on base, but with Salvy being slow-footed and Yuli Gurriel up next, a move worth making. I had a notion that it would have made sense to send Bobby once Salvy got two strikes on him - if he’s out Salvy can lead off the ninth with a fresh count. But I understand not wanting to send him in that situation. Salvy ain’t a punch-and-judy hitter. If he hits a gapper, Bobby scores from first.
Even more troubling is that Bobby has had some miscues on defense, which shouldn’t normally slump like the bat does. He misplayed a hot shot off the bat of Giancarlo Stanton in Game 2. His relay throw home early in Game 3 was wild, potentially costing the Royals a play at the plate. He has certainly made some terrific defensive plays, but when the margins are very thin in the post-season, the miscues get compounded.
Legacies aren’t written after just three games. Some great players are known as not being post-season performers - until they perform. Salvador Perez - who eventually won 2015 World Series MVP - went 4-for-34 to begin his post-season career. Bobby is a supremely talented player who by every account has the maturity, confidence, and leadership needed to emerge from any funk and carry a team to victory.
But the Royals have their backs up against the wall and the time to step up is now.