Play.it Usa Forum

The past week was revealing. Aaron Boone (“our season is on the line”), Brian Cashman (“we suck right now”), and Hal Steinbrenner (“the majority of the blame lies with them”) called the players out, and Aaron Judge held a team meeting. Yankee Stadium had its biggest crowds of the season over the weekend and was very energetic. What more do the Yankees need?

All that happened and the Yankees still came out flat and looking very much like a team that deserves to be behind the Mariners -- again, the MARINERS -- in the standings. Something like that goes beyond a simple “we need better players” problem. A showing like this past homestand (and a showing like last weekend in Boston) indicates a culture problem.

The culture problem starts at the top and ownership and the front office have demonstrated a lot of complacency the last few years. The luxury tax plan, the trade deadline inactivity, ignoring the lineup imbalance, the "this is supposed to work and we're going to stick with it until it works" mentality, etc. That complacency bleeds down onto the field. Everyone is waiting for someone else to make something happen.

So, with the Yankees going down in flames, they should sell at the trade deadline. Repeatedly they’ve shown us they are not good enough to compete with the league’s better teams, and since they’re (probably) not going to win this year, the focus should shift to the future, and putting the team in the best position to win in the coming years. It sucks, but it is necessary.

Sweeney has a big leg kick and a hitch and a lot going on in his left-handed stroke, but he has outstanding hand-eye coordination and makes the timing work at the plate. He has good feel for the barrel, controls the strike zone and makes hard contact to all fields against lefties and righties, good velocity and tough offspeed pitches. His hitting ability, strength and bat speed should produce at least average power, perhaps more if he adds more loft to his swing.

Sweeney's below-average speed limits his effectiveness at shortstop and will necessitate a position change at the next level. He has reliable hands and solid strength but doesn't cover enough ground at short. He profiles well at third base, should be able to handle any corner infield or outfield position and may be playable at second base.

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Sweeney, 18, was not drafted out of high school, and he first put himself on the prospect map with a strong showing in the wood bat Prospect League in the summer of 2019: .354/.453/.524 with seven home runs and way more walks (36) than strikeouts (25) in 52 games. Sweeney put up a .351/.439/.456 line in 14 games prior to the pandemic last year.

This spring Sweeney hit .382/.522/.712 with 14 homers and nearly twice as many walks (46) as strikeouts (24) in 48 games. The Ohio Valley Conference isn’t exactly top competition, but the numbers jump out.