Until last season, the Los Angeles Angels were a big target of every baseball fan. Despite having two bonafide MVP players Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, the team couldn’t find much success. However, while that partnership has ended the New York Yankees have given fans their version of that story with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. And that is now heavily irking the legendary sports host Mike Francesa. 

With a loss to the Boston Red Sox, the Bronx Bombers have now extended their losing streak to 5 games. The chief culprits are their hitters, who just haven’t been the same since Giancarlo Stanton’s injury. However, the most unfortunate part remains Aaron Judge and Juan Soto’s performances. In a lineup filled with darkness, they’ve been the sole ray of light for the Yankees. But as Francesa says, it means nothing because the Bronx Bombers just aren’t winning.

“It doesn’t matter who the opponent is, it doesn’t matter what the quality of opponent is,” Francesa said on his podcast, adding, “The Yankees just aren’t very good right now.” It was then that Francesa reminded people of the extraordinary seasons that their top two are having, noting, “On a day-to-day basis they’re putting forth an MVP performer in Soto, who is having an MVP season. And then behind him, you have Judge who is having an otherwordly season.” 

Francesa later called Aaron Judge’s season a “Mantle 56, (Babe) Ruthian type of season.” However, all of it is wasted because “they still can’t win and they continue to lose consistently.” The legendary host blamed Giancarlo Stanton’s injury for this.” The entire lineup has collapsed around them with the Stanton injury,” Francesa said. However, just blaming Stanton’s injury might not be enough. There’s a total downfall in the Yankees’ hitting staff across the board and the hints were present throughout this season.

Lack of leadoff to lessening on-base presence, how Yankees have failed Judge and Soto

If one looks at the New York Yankees’ numbers, there’s a gap as big as the Grand Canyon regarding hitters. Juan Soto has an 181 OPS+ and Aaron Judge has a ridiculous 211 OPS+. These are not just elite numbers but are generational in the case of Judge. But then, the real story begins below them. Apart from these two stars, there’s only one player with an OPS+ of over 100 and that’s Giancarlo Stanton with 120.

On top of that other than Anthony Volpe, Alex Verdugo, and Jose Trevino, no other qualified hitter crosses 90 OPS+ mark. That is a travesty and a clear signal that the hitting staff has completely collapsed. The scary part is that Volpe and Verdugo were healthily above 100 just a few weeks ago but since then their bats have been more silent than a winter’s night. 

The hints were there before too. Even during the New York Yankees’ peak one could see how Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Stanton were involved in most attacks. But now the bottom has fallen out and things look scary for the Yankees. They need a turnaround and they need it quick.