THE LEADING MAN
In 2001, the Yankees eliminated the A’s to set up an ALCS against the 116-win Mariners, who were sparked by their leadoff hitter, Ichiro Suzuki, who won both the Rookie of the Year and MVP. The Yanks eliminated that historic Seattle club in five games for many reasons, none bigger than they neutralized Suzuki; stopped him from being on base constantly and initiating havoc once there.
The Yankees beat the A’s in the wild-card game to set up a showdown with the 108-win Red Sox. To beat Boston, the Yanks will have to, at minimum, temper the impact of leadoff man Mookie Betts, the AL MVP frontrunner. “I know everyone will talk both Betts and
[J.D.] Martinez, and Martinez is a great hitter, but if you can keep Betts as a non-factor, it just changes everything with that lineup because he sets it up for [Andrew] Benin
tendi, Martinez and [Xander] Bogaerts,” Scout 1 said. “They go as he goes.”
Scout 2 pointed out watching a Rays sweep of the Red Sox in late August facilitated by Tampa pitchers holding Betts to one hit in nine at-bats in three games. “They are a different team when he does not get on all the time.” The Rays offered no set pattern for pitching to Betts — they attacked mainly with fastballs in the opener but altered as the series went along and used their changing cast of relievers as a weapon in the first two games and ace Blake Snell in the finale.
And if there is a way to get Betts out consistently, the Yanks did not discover it in 17 regular-season games this year in which he hit .415 against them with a .506 on-base percentage, a .738 slugging percentage, 13 walks, 14 extra-base hits and 15 RBIs.
Scout 1: “You can’t pitch in a pattern [to Betts]. It is the same with J.D. These are smart hitters. One thing I wrote in my report is not to go to the same spot, avoid doubling up in the same zone. These guys are so good at making adjustments they will take a bad swing then look for that pitch. Then it is not going to be a bad swing again. Not every guy in the big leagues can do that.
“Even when Mookie struggles, it is different than others, he is too fast. His bat speed is so quick, Mookie can just wait. When he gets in trouble, it is sometimes because he is just too quick. If it makes sense, Betts hits before the ball gets there. Sometimes he does not give himself time because that bat is just, ‘whoosh,’ out there so quick.”
Scout 3: “You can use curves against J.D. and Mookie, but here is the thing: You can hope J.D. chases, and if he walks, that is a strategy to take the bat out of his hands, no big deal. If you walk Mookie with the same approach, you are putting perhaps the best base runner in the majors on base.”