So, let’s pretend that you are Aaron Boone and you have to make out the line-up for the team. You are excited that Brian Cashman, finally, gave you some left-handed hitters to put in your line-up, and you like the idea of alternating righty/lefty hitters in the batting order. SU is with you on that. It’s a good idea.
But you have this one guy, Joey Gallo, who is hitting .199 for the season and even worse for the Yankees. I believe it’s .135 and .091 with RISP. Clearly, last night and today, Boone has delegated the line-up responsibility to his children as Gallo is hitting 2nd. Boone may be rotating this activity across his children, and they may all really like Gallo. I mean, what is the case for batting Gallo 2nd?
He is the 3-outcome hitter: strikeout; walk; and the occasional home run. As the Yankees head down the stretch, every game is big and their hitters are not all performing at peak capacity. As a fan, you have confidence in Judge (all year), Stanton (the last few weeks until you don’t) and Rizzo. LeMahieu can also get a hit. After that, anything is a bonus. Sanchez hit 9th last night – well-deserved and he earned it – and that is a good spot for him in my view going forward. The question is why put Gallo right in the middle of your only productive hitters vs. 7th or 8th?
Now, he may hit 2 home runs today and everyone will say, “SU, you are an idiot.” I can take it – it’s part of the job (and hey, I am not getting paid for this). But at least as a Yankee, he has been awful so far, and what are you seeing that makes you think this is a good idea in the key #2 hole where Judge and Stanton usually hit? I do not get it – at all. This is a left-handed Dave Kingman (who hit higher than Gallo for average by the way) and i am sure he never hit 2nd in his career.
If you want a left-handed bat in there, put in Gardner then. SU is not high on Odor – he gets a hit a week, and this reputation for “big hits” with the Yankees is a bit overblown in my opinion. Or put Velazquez in there as he has an idea of what he is trying to do with men on base.
Please explain.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
Funny story about Dave Kingman. I must have been about 10 years old at a Mets game. I was down by the field yelling for Dave Kingman to come over and sign an autograph. Some other people were next to me yelling to the third base coach to come over and sign autographs. I was thinking to myself “what moron wants an autograph from a third base coach?!?”. Well, I guess I was the moron because the third base coach that year was Willie Mays!!!