The New York Yankees and Aaron Choose have an issue.
Choose has been white scorching over his final 9 video games heading into Wednesday, posting a .485/.630/1.061 batting line with six homers throughout 46 plate appearances. The issue is that Choose has been walked 13 instances in that area, together with 4 intentional walks. He was deliberately walked 3 times on Sunday, turning into the primary Yankees participant since Bernie Williams in 1999 to attract three intentional walks in a recreation. It has gotten to the purpose the place Joel Sherman of the New York Put up feels that adjustments have to be made to the intentional stroll rule.
The Yankees in the end must punish groups for giving Choose the Barry Bonds remedy. Catcher Austin Wells has achieved his half hitting behind Choose, having posted a .343/.375/.514 batting line in his 40 plate appearances. Nonetheless, he’s not almost as harmful a hitter as Choose. The Yankees haven’t offered a lot safety past the cleanup spot, Jazz Chisholm’s consecutive two-homer video games however.
The Bonds Period Giants and the 2024 Yankees have the identical drawback. Jeff Kent was a borderline Corridor of Fame expertise and offered a formidable duo with Bonds in San Francisco. Nonetheless, the Giants by no means discovered one other participant who might constantly take the stress off Bonds and Kent. Bonds holds the foremost league document with 688 intentional walks in his profession and led the league 12 instances, together with three years with Kent within the lineup.
Choose is going through the identical technique this season. He and Juan Soto will be as formidable a duo as Bonds and Kent. Nonetheless, Choose leads the majors with 11 intentional walks as groups are pitching round him. Wells is proving to be a stable hitter however he doesn’t have the identical skill to alter the sport with one swing of the bat. There isn’t any cause to pitch to Choose.
Until the Yankees discover a strategy to punish the opposition for pitching round Choose, they could as nicely get used to seeing him trot right down to first base. It’s the identical drawback the Giants had with Barry Bonds.
