The Yankees made the playoffs for the first time in three seasons this October, but their abbreviated stay could be a sign that Joe Girardi's days should be numbered in the Bronx.
After failing to make the postseason in 2013 and 2014, New York somewhat defied expectations in 2015. Despite a late-season swoon that saw the team lose five of its last six games -- including its final four -- in the regular season, the Bronx Bombers ended their playoff drought.
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With the berth, Girardi seemingly saved himself from being on the hot seat, but after the listless Yankees failed to score a single run at home against the Astros in a 3-0 Wild Card Game loss on Tuesday, his future as the skipper is worth examining.
Girardi did a solid job for most of the season and buoyed by a strong first-half of Alex Rodriguez, the club overachieved and made the playoffs, but is that enough to justify him keeping his job?
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This is the New York Yankees we're talking about, a club that is a perennial playoff team and has won World Series titles as if doing so was a bodily function. Girardi always has a tendency to micromanage and over think things, and with the Yankees failing to play in an ALDS for the third straight season, his methods aren't quite working.
The Yankees skipper stood by all of his decisions when assessing the team's failure to advance and his job security.
"I did what I thought was right every day," Girardi said via ESPN. "People thought that I could have done better. I understand that, and so you live with it."
One of the biggest strikes against Girardi was his use of flame-throwing reliever Dellin Betances down the stretch, as he played him in 74 games and in 80 innings, often at times when the game wasn't tight enough to warrant such overuse. It could also be a reason that the reliever faltered down the stretch.
As for his Wild Card Game lineup, Girardi opted to bench Jacoby Ellsbury and play Chris Young and Brett Gardner over him. Gardner went 0-for-4, while Young was 0-for-2 with a walk. Girardi played the right-handed Young over Ellsbury, who makes $155 million, to play into the matchups, something he often over thinks.
Ellsbury went 0-for-1 in the game as a pinch-hitter, and it could be argued that it didn't matter who the Yankees put in the lineup against Dallas Keuchel, who simply dominated them throughout the season. Still, many pundits have chastised Girardi for some of his decisions this season.
The Yankees may have overachieved, but it doesn't mean that a change in leadership isn't worth considering.
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