Hour 2: Same Yankees Offense - Don, Hahn & Rosenberg

Summary

Podcast Summary: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 2: Same Yankees Offense

Podcast Information

Title: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg
Hosts: Don LaGreca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Episode: Hour 2: Same Yankees Offense
Release Date: April 3, 2025
Description: The podcast features Don LaGreca, Alan Hahn, and Peter Rosenberg discussing New York sports, particularly focusing on the New York Yankees' strategies and performance.

Introduction

In this episode of the Don, Hahn & Rosenberg podcast, the hosts delve deep into the New York Yankees' offensive strategy, expressing both critique and analysis of the team's reliance on home runs and high strikeout rates. The discussion highlights frustration with the Yankees' "all or nothing" approach to offense, emphasizing the team's consistent yet polarizing performance.

Yankees Offense Analysis

Reliance on Home Runs

The Yankees' offensive strategy continues to center around power hitting, often at the expense of consistency. Alan Hahn expresses his frustration with the team's approach:

Alan Hahn: "It’s literally what they do. It continues to be what they do." ([02:05])

Peter Rosenberg echoes this sentiment, linking it to the use of the torpedo bat:

Peter Rosenberg: "All we care about is the barrel of the bat hitting the ball as far as we can." ([02:15])

This focus on home runs leads to notable highs and lows in game outcomes, often making games unpredictable and, at times, monotonous for fans.

High Strikeout Rates

The team's strategy also results in high strikeout rates, which further exacerbates the frustration among fans and analysts:

Alan Hahn: "They set a record for home runs and then setting a record for strikeouts to start a season." ([01:50])

Peter Rosenberg discusses how this approach aligns with modern analytics but questions its overall effectiveness:

Peter Rosenberg: "It's the epitome of analytics baseball. It's walk, strikeout, home run." ([02:15])

Player-Specific Discussions

Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge's performance is a focal point, with discussions about his consistent high numbers juxtaposed against his mechanical weaknesses:

Alan Hahn: "He’s been a two-time MVP and I know that at the end of the year he's still going to have epic numbers. But... he's been striking out a lot." ([08:20])

Judge's propensity to fall for specific pitches consistently leads to high strikeout counts, contributing to the overall "all or nothing" offensive narrative.

Anthony Volpe

Volpe's performance is highlighted as both a positive and a symptom of the Yankees' offensive strategy:

Peter Rosenberg: "Volpe's got six hits. All home runs." ([02:30])

While his home runs can change the momentum of the game, reliance on such hits makes the offense less versatile.

Jason Dominguez

The discussion shifts to Jason Dominguez, focusing on his hitting discipline and potential:

Peter Rosenberg: "Jason Dominguez has been frustrating me with his at-bats. He doesn’t even check a swing at this point." ([15:52])

Listeners express frustration over Dominguez's lack of contact, questioning the Yankees' handling of his contract and potential as a trade asset.

Team Strategy and Philosophy

All or Nothing Offense

The Yankees' offensive philosophy is characterized by taking significant swings with the expectation of high rewards:

Alan Hahn: "It's all or nothing. And I guess for me, that's what I'm not gonna say. It's not disappointing, it's not depressing..." ([06:32])

This approach aligns with the team's historical preference for power hitters but sacrifices consistency and versatility.

Analytical Approach

The team's strategy is heavily influenced by modern baseball analytics, focusing on maximizing home runs while accepting higher strikeout rates:

Peter Rosenberg: "It's all analytics, man. It has nothing to do with driving interest." ([20:11])

This method prioritizes immediate runs over building innings through contact hitting, reflecting a broader trend in contemporary baseball strategy.

Fan Perspective and Frustration

Alan Hahn openly shares his frustrations as a fan, struggling with the unpredictability and limitations of the Yankees' offensive strategy:

Alan Hahn: "It's really tough to live through the ebbs and flows." ([10:24])

Don LaGreca reinforces this sentiment, acknowledging the emotional rollercoaster that comes with the Yankees' inconsistent performance:

Don LaGreca: "This is how the team is built, that on the right day, you score 20 runs... but then three days later, there's literally not an ounce of entertainment." ([12:16])

Comparisons to Other Teams

The hosts draw comparisons between the Yankees and other sports teams, highlighting the unique position the Yankees hold in consistently maintaining a competitive stance:

Peter Rosenberg: "We haven't had one losing season since, what, ’91. How's it working out for us?" ([14:07])

They contrast the Yankees' persistent competitiveness with teams like the Mets, Jets, and Giants, emphasizing the Yankees' sustained relevance and success.

Conclusion

The Don, Hahn & Rosenberg podcast episode titled "Hour 2: Same Yankees Offense" presents a critical yet analytical view of the New York Yankees' offensive strategies. While the team's reliance on home runs and high strikeout rates aligns with modern baseball analytics, it also leads to fan frustration and questions about the long-term effectiveness of such an approach. The hosts acknowledge the Yankees' consistent presence in the playoffs and World Series but remain skeptical about the sustainability and entertainment value of their offensive philosophy.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

Alan Hahn: "The Yankees right now, to me, first impression, continue to be the all or nothing offense." ([01:50])
Peter Rosenberg: "It's the epitome of analytics baseball. It's walk, strikeout, home run." ([02:15])
Alan Hahn: "You just know what to expect because it's the same script every year." ([08:20])
Peter Rosenberg: "This is how you win and every other one." ([10:48])
Don LaGreca: "This is how the team is built, that on the right day, you score 20 runs... but then three days later, there's literally not an ounce of entertainment." ([12:16])
Peter Rosenberg: "It's all analytics, man. It has nothing to do with driving interest." ([20:11])
Alan Hahn: "It's really tough to live through the ebbs and flows." ([10:24])

This comprehensive summary encapsulates the main discussions, insights, and conclusions presented in the podcast episode, providing a clear understanding for those who haven't listened to it.

Transcript

Don Hahn (0:00)

This is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

Peter Rosenberg (0:04)

That sounds like heaven to me.

Don Hahn (0:05)

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.

Alan Hahn (0:14)

Hi. At the 4 o'clock hour we go with Don Lagreca and Peter Rosenberg. I'm Alan Hahn. 800-919-3776 is the number we got calls. We will get to you in the conversations here, but we've talked enough. Mets. All right, that's enough. Can we get to now what's happening with the Yankees? Don? Peter, I gotta admit that I feel. The only thing I feel good about is that I was right when it comes to this stupid torpedo bat thing. And the fact that what they did over the weekend against the brewers turned into a fake conspiracy, a fake controversy and instead now what we're seeing is after now, well, we'll see tonight they can even win a series against these, the Diamondbacks. But it feels like as much as things they try to change, they stay the same. The Yankees right now, to me, first impression, continue to be the all or nothing offense. Yeah, it is unreal the amount of swing and miss that happened with them and how they just keep. And I see it again with Judge, I'm sorry, he's seeing it and you're seeing it and you're seeing it. He had a whole off season he's had all these years. That loan away gets him every time. It's an incredible weakness. That is maddening. And so I now am getting frustrated because every time we're being told the Yankees gonna be different, they'll be more athletic, they're gonna be more on the base paths, they're gonna do less of the only hit home runs thing. No, it's literally what they do. It's all they do. It continues to be what they do. And that's why series like this get frustrating for me because it's hard to watch. And then of course you get the late three run home run from Volpe and it just keep pulls you back in. But man, setting a record for home runs and then setting a record for strikeouts to start a season, well, that's quite the contrast.

Peter Rosenberg (2:05)

And the reason I'll bring the torpedo bat into the conversation is because just that alone tells you, hey, all we care about is is the barrel of the bat hitting the ball as far as we can.

Alan Hahn (2:15)

Right?

Peter Rosenberg (2:16)

And that's great. Home runs are awesome when, when they're happening and they're happening in the regularity. But when you just need a base hit or a sacrifice fly or Something that could work too. In games. They've got nine players with home runs. Volpe's got four hits. All home runs. Right. Jazz Chisholm has six hits. Half of them are, are home runs. Ben Rice has five hits, two home runs. So it's basically, you're right, home runs are nothing. Strikeouts. Judge has seven, Volpe's got six. He's got more strikeouts than hits. Same thing with Jazz. He's got nine strikeouts to his six hits. So it is the epitome of analytics baseball. It's walk, strikeout, home run. And if you get a good pitching staff, if, like the Diamondbacks, they can pitch, they got a really good bullpen, they got good starting pitchers. So they're going to miss the barrel of the bat. They're going to make you work. And if the home run's not there and Volpe got the home run, I can't say it was garbage time because it did make it a one run game. But shut out for eight innings and then you get a, you know, a one out home run in the ninth inning, that made it interesting. But at the end of the day, when there were plenty of other opportunities to get something done, you didn't. And listen, they're three and two. So again, it's not so much about the wins and the losses because we know it's early enough to recover from that, but it's just a reminder of this is how this team is built. So if you're going to ask throughout the summer, like you did on the case over 20 years, why aren't they bunning, why aren't they stealing bases, why aren't they hitting on the right side, where the runner at second and moving them over, it's just not, that's not what they do. They've taken Volpe, who looks to me like a player that is a contact guy, get hits, hit the gap into, you know, they're trying to make him into another match, you know, Miguel Tejada, kind of like a shortstop that can, that can hit home runs because they want you to hit home runs. Done. Am I wrong?