There’s a lot to like about the changes the Yankees made from last season to this one.
One change, though, hasn’t paid off nearly as well as they hoped. In fact, it really hasn’t paid off at all. In going from Brett Gardner as the primary center fielder to Aaron Hicks, the team replaced one problem with a younger, less beloved problem.
Hicks returns to his old stomping grounds in Minnesota — where the Yankees begin a three-game series on Tuesday — with a .213/.337/.243 slash line. Statcast has him as the worst defensive center fielder in the American League, and among players who have made at least 150 plate appearances, Hicks’ grand total of two extra base hits is the fewest in the league.