Holliday not O-K
Yanks slumping DH frustrated by high strikeout rate
Don’t count the slumping Matt Holiday among those who believe striking out is part of doing business at the plate.
For the first time in a very productive big league career, the Yankees’ designated hitter has more strikeouts than hits entering Tuesday night’s game against the Reds at Yankee Stadium — and it gnaws at the 37-year-old right-handed hitter.
“I don’t like that stat at all,’’ Holliday said Sunday in Seattle after the Yankees copped three of four from the Mariners.
The numbers Holliday are annoyed at are his 85 strikeouts to 66 hits, which play into a .238 average. Holliday was a career .303 hitter when he left St. Louis for The Bronx and a one-year deal for $13 million. In 13 previous big league seasons Holliday had 1,995 hits and 1,230 strikeouts.
In talking about the increased strikeouts, Holliday didn’t mention missing two-plus weeks with a viral infection. Since returning July 14 from the disabled list, he’s batting .114 (5-for-44) with one homer, two RBIs, a .353 OPS and 14 strikeouts
“Maybe my swing is a tick off,’’ Holliday said. “Pitchers are going more for the strikeouts.’’
Though he has only one homer and one double since coming off the DL, Holliday explained his swing has improved lately.
“I feel better, but you feel better and not get results,’’ Holliday said. “I feel like I am putting the bat on the ball a little better. [Sunday] there were more aggressive swings.’’
Holliday, whose lone homer since coming back came off Boston closer Craig Kimbrel sent a July 15 game at Fenway Park into extra innings where the Yankees copped a 4-1 win in 16 frames, isn’t alone when it comes to having more whiffs than hits among his teammates.
Seven other Yankees hitters have more punchouts than hits. Aaron Judge leads the group with 125 K’s to 105 hits. Chase Headley is at 88-84 and Gary Sanchez is 69-67, Clint Frazier, whose hot bat has nailed Jacoby Ellsbury to the bench, has 18 hits and 18 whiffs. Counting his time with the White Sox, Todd Frazier has 75 Ks to 60 hits. Austin Romine is at 39 to 37. And of course, former teammate Chris Carter fanned 76 times compared to 37 hits before being cut loose.
Sunday, when Holliday went 0-for-4, was the first time he hit fifth in Joe Girardi’s lineup. Until then it was third or fourth for Holliday, who is respected for what he has accomplished as a player and in the clubhouse.
While Girardi has turned Ellsbury into a very expensive bench player because Clint Frazier is swinging a hot bat, there isn’t a clear-cut replacement for Holliday in the DH slot.
Despite his defensive deficiencies, Sanchez is going to catch the bulk of the remaining 65 games as long as he is healthy. That eliminates him from extended DH at-bats. Todd Frazier and Headley are needed at third and first, respectively.
And it shouldn’t be forgotten that Holliday played a big part in the Yankees having a 38-23 ledger on June 12 when they held a fourgame lead over the Red Sox. In his first 58 games, he batted .280 (56for-200) with 13 homers, 44 RBIs and had a .914 OPS. At that point Holliday had 63 Ks and 56 hits. From June 13-July 23 Holliday played 20 games and cratered. He batted .130 (10-for-77) with a .198 on-base percentage, a .483 OPS and had 22 strikeouts to 10 hits.