Anthony Rizzo’s Defense in Question? Yankees Infielder Faces Scrutiny Amidst Repeated Errors

No one can deny that the New York Yankees are off to a scorching start. Despite lacking some key contributors, they currently boast the best record in Major League Baseball. However, a matter of concern has emerged and it is their shaky infield defense. And guess who is in the spotlight? Anthony Rizzo!

Rizzo is a perennial player who is known as a Gold Glove first baseman. He sure has incredible hands and exceptional range that have uncharacteristically made four errors in just 16 games. This calls for a comparison. 

What’s up with Anthony Rizzo and the New York Yankees’ defense?

This is a contrast to his performance in previous seasons. Remember when he made only four errors in 92 games back in 2023 and five in 120 games back in 2022? Addressing this issue, Manager Aaron Boone opened up. But his words didn’t seem to show concern. 

It appeared that Boone attempted to downplay the situation. His words were, “He’s been OK… I think that’s just a couple of plays. I expect the same elite defense we usually get.” So is this just a false alarm? Or is there something to be worried about?

Well, recent games offer some evidence for concern. Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians was a stage where Rizzo committed two errors. One was on a catchable throw, and the other was on a booted grounder. These came with consequences. These miscues extended Nestor Cortes’ outing and led to a missed series sweep. But note that the issue extends beyond Rizzo.

The same game saw miscues from Anthony Volpe, the young shortstop, too. He bobbled a throw from Gleyber Torres and Torres himself, who mishandled a grounder that let go a run to score. Entering Sunday, the Yanks had the 17th-best infield defense by outs above average. That’s a metric that measures a fielder’s defensive runs saved in comparison to an average defender. After Rizzo Cabrera and Torres struggled defensively, this ranking is likely to plummet.

The bullpen factor: A matter of concern for the Yankees? 

Let’s talk about the Yankees’ bullpen. It seems to be lacking strikeout prowess, adding another layer of complexity. This combination of shaky defense and an inconsistent bullpen could turn into a disaster in close games down the line.

Outside of Nick Burdi, each of the Yankees’ regular relievers has a strikeout rate lower than the current major league average. In Sunday’s 10th-inning loss, the Guardians’ third baseman José Ramírez fouled off six straight pitches from Caleb Ferguson before he hit a single. With that, he put Cleveland in a scoring position. That said, the Yankees’ bullpen presently has the lowest strikeout percentage and the third-least K-BB percentage in the league.