Perspectives: Soto, Walls, 11%, Jasson, and Lots More!

by Paul Semendinger

September 11, 2024

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Pete Resier. Fred Lynn. (And to a certain extent) Bryce Harper. There are others.

What do these players all have in common besides being All-Star level outfielders?

All of them had situations where their all-out play caused them injuries that impacted negatively on their careers.

I couldn't help but think of these players on Saturday as I watched Juan Soto pull-up on a flyball down the right field line at Wrigley Field. Rather than smashing into the wall, Soto pulled up and the ball fell for a triple.

Last season the Yankees lost Aaron Judge for many weeks after he crashed into the wall at Dodger Stadium.

Again, it made me think...

At times, Soto gets criticized because he doesn't smash into walls. Readers have made that comment multiple times on these pages. ("He's afraid of walls.") Some readers want Juan Soto to do whatever it takes to catch every baseball hit in his direction. And I understand, but only to a point.

While we all want our players to give 100% always, I think we also want our players to be smart about giving that 100%. Sometimes, discretion is the better part of valor.

Would the 2023 Yankees have been better off if Judge hadn't crashed into the wall and missed so much time? The answer to that is, "Of course."

When it comes to backing away from solid brick walls like at Wrigley Field, or any walls for that matter, I am fine with Juan Soto not putting his body in jeopardy. His bat is what is needed in the lineup. Soto can not help the Yankees win if he's on the Injured List. And going on the injured list is the logical result of running full-on into a stationary object like a brick or cement wall.

Soto is doing the right thing.

You can give your all, but you can also be smart while doing that. Soto is being smart. I'm glad.

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Well, I was excited for the start of the NFL season...

But, to be honest, I knew it wouldn't last long.

The Giants lost on Sunday. They got crushed.

And, being a Jets fan, as soon as they went ahead 7-3 on Monday night, I said, "Oh no, that's the high water mark. Well, it was fun while it lasted."

I was correct, at least for that game.

We'll see what happens this week, but what a way to start the season in discouraging fashion.

Note - if any readers feel the urge to state how much they hate this player or that player and they hope bad things happen to him and such, please keep those comments to yourself. This isn't the place for that.

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Is an 11% success rate good? I don't think so.

People talk about how Yankees fans are spoiled. "They win all the time," some say.

No, they don't. And they haven't - for most of my life as a Yankees fan. Think of it...

The Yankees hooked me in 1977. That's when I became a Yankees fan for life. They sweetened the deal by winning it all again in 1978.

But since then... you know, they really haven't won it all very often. At all.

Here's the quick math:

2024 - 1979 = 45 years

In those 45 years, the Yankees have won five World Series (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009). Four of those came in a five year period. Otherwise, we've been left out in the cold - a lot. In many ways, that blip of time has sustained the Yankees for almost a half of a century. No one ever notes that or even considers that. But, think about it. There was a short magical window. Besides that, there hasn't been a whole heck of a lot of winning.

5 out of 45.

That's an 11% success rate. The Yankees have failed to win the World Series 89% of the seasons since 1979. You know, for a franchise that claims to be the greatest and all of that, failing to deliver the prize 89% of the time just isn't very good.

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I already know some of the comments that'll come from the 11% point:

"Other teams haven't won that much..." (and the like)

"Teams don't have to win every year."

"The Yankees are always .500 or better!"

Bottom line - other teams don't call themselves the greatest ever. Other teams don't continually say, "We win the most championships" all the time. The other teams are not the most valuable (by far) in the sport. And, yes, in professional sports, it is all about winning. And, while a .500 record is nice, it is not the be-all and end-all. Good is the enemy of great, and while the Yankees might be good, they certainly haven't been great.

I'm tired of good. It's time, way way way past time, for the Yankees to be great.

***

Or, how's this. Other than that five year window, the Yankees have won one World Series in 40 years.

Yankees fans are spoiled? Really?

For most of the lives of all fans in their 50's, and younger, the Yankees have failed to win the championship most of the time. Outside that magical five years, the Yankees are 1 for 40.

Again, that five year period is something the Yankees have based so much of their success story on. Without that, they've been very ordinary. Even with it, 11%, isn't all that great for the franchise that claims, always, and often, to be the greatest.

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Jasson Dominguez has arrived. That's a great thing. Let's hope he is the future and that the future is also now.

He needs to play regularly. Every day.

You know, as I think about it, hat's the thing... the common thread that almost all the criticism of the Yankees has been about all this time.

Too often, and in far too many ways, the Yankees fail to put their best team on the field day-in and day-out. Dominguez, if he's for real, is part of the best team they can play. He needs to play. The Yankees need to play their best players. They do not do that enough. They haven't done that enough.

I am excited that Jasson Dominguez's journey begins again and I hope there are lots of World Series trophies as part of his and the team's future.

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A personal programming note - I was called out of retirement and am now back to work. As such, I'll have less time (and very little time during the work day) to engage with the readers in the comments. I'll miss the discussions and the debates. Please don't be insulted if I don't engage with back-and-forth. I'll be doing most of the blog work on off-hours.

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My book 365.2: Going the Distance (A Runner's Journey) is a 2024 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards Finalist!

It is always wonderful to be recognized in this way!

This book, as an ebook, for September, is also available for the discounted price of only 99 cents. Get motivated by reading 365.2!

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This year I am running the New York City Marathon to support the Sesame Workshop.  Unlike most runners who run for charities so that they get into the race, I am not running for the Sesame Workshop to get into the race.  I am already in.  With or without the Sesame Workshop, I’ll be running those 26.2 miles through the five boroughs of New York on the first Sunday in November.

I am running to support all the Sesame Workshop does to support education, kindness, and more. PLEASE help out with a donation by clicking the link above. (You can read more about my efforts by reading this article.

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If you have ever wanted to be a baseball writer, we are always open to accepting new talent. To write for SSTN, please reach out to us at spreadingthenewsblog@gmail.com and we can give you an audition. Please note, we do not pay our writers. The content we have always provided is free to all. Of note, I don't get paid for any of the podcasts I do. We do this out of a love for the sport, the team, and because it is a passion. We are always seeking great writers who are dedicated and reliable. If you fit that description, please reach out. It is great to be part of a great team.

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