Hour 4: Will the Yankees Make Changes?

Peter Rosenberg (0:00)

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Alex (0:18)

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Last call, crew 1-800-919-3776. Let's go to Alex in Limbrook. You're on Don, Hahn & Rosenberg. What's up?

Alex (1:32)

Hi guys. I'm hearing some crazy stuff like, people think Boone should be five for putting Grisham at the leadoff spot. But I'm saying to myself, if he went two for four with a walk and a run, they'd probably be, oh, what a great idea.

But I'm really curious, Mr. Hahn, because you, Donny, what line would you, if you were the manager of the Yankees, what is the line of you would do?

Don La Greca (1:58)

Well, it certainly wouldn't be Grisham at the leading off.

Alan Hahn (2:00)

No, his numbers didn't really qualify to play him. And again, Boone is a guy who trusts his players and believes in them and shows them, shows faith in them and leaves it up to them to let him down. And they're very good at doing that. At least some of them are.

I've said this, I don't think you do it in a playoff game because it puts too much pressure, but I think there's a future of, I think Lombard is going to be a leadoff hitter. I just think he's going to be a, I've been saying this for a while.

He will end up being a leadoff guy. You got to get guys that can get on base. I think you put him at the top, because if he gets on, first of all, he's a good contact hitter. He's a smart hitter at the plate. And he also is very athletic and run, and you want that as well. And I just feel like in the future, whenever they play baseball again, the Yankees do that is, I'm just curious to see how long they wait before they move him into that type of role. You think it's too much pressure on him, even at, what would he be next year, 2021, 22?

Don La Greca (3:03)

No, but it's time, right? You got to, if he's the best at it, because I'm trying to think.

Alan Hahn (3:09)

I don't know if he's the best at it.

Don La Greca (3:10)

I'm just saying, if he looks like he can be. Now, I don't know if they were going to do that last night.

Alan Hahn (3:16)

Because I don't think Rice should lead off.

Peter Rosenberg (3:19)

I don't know, once Judge is healthy.

Don La Greca (3:21)

I mean, it's not like the old days of the speedster. It's just, you're trying to get a guy more at bats. That's why Judge bats second when he's healthy. And you try to set up, he wanted to get somebody with a high on base percentage so that Rice could hit a two run home run.

That's the plan. The reason I think all this is overrated anyway sometimes is, all right, you're set up for the beginning of the game, but you never know where these guys are going to bat once the game gets going.

Alan Hahn (3:46)

Yeah, you might go 8-9-1 in order. You don't know how the order is going to turn from inning to inning. So you're absolutely right. It really is a first inning issue.