Despite having the second-best record in baseball behind the rival Red Sox ahead of their highly anticipated weekend series, the Yankees aren’t playing their best baseball, according to one former Yankee.
Carlos Beltran, who enjoyed a a few productive years in pinstripes on the back end of his career, said Thursday that the Yankees and their lineup of young studs, including new addition Giancarlo Stanton, are still “trying to figure out how to play together.”
“I think they have a great team,’’ Beltran told the New York Post. “They’re trying to figure out how to play together. It’s hard sometimes to come from a team to New York. There are a lot of expectations. People expect you to hit a homer every single game. Sometimes you go 0-for-4 and you feel like have to do more.”
Rookies Gleyber Torres (.284 batting average, 14 home runs, 38 RBIs) and Miguel Andujar (.276 batting average, 11 home runs, 35 RBIs) seem to have it all figured out in their first season as both have anchored the back half of the batting order. As for Stanton, it took him a bit longer to get his bearing in The Bronx.
After batting .218 in April, Stanton has improved each month and is enjoying a nice June batting .306 with eight home runs and 17 RBIs. He has a .265/.337/.510 slash line with 19 home runs and 46 RBIs this season.
Beltran believes Stanton has simply become more comfortable with being a Yankee.
“I don’t care what (Stanton) says, if he doesn’t feel the pressure or not, you do feel the pressure,’’ Beltran said. “But it’s a good pressure. It’s the pressure of going out there and performing. I do believe the first month or two you’re getting used to it. But once you feel comfortable and you know the environment, he’s gonna feel much better.”
The Yankees (52-26) open a three-game set against the Red Sox (55-27) at 7:05 p.m. on Friday at Yankee Stadium.