Former New York Yankees Prospect Rips Organization For Being Too Reliant on Analytics

He didn't hold back.

The New York Yankees are currently under .500 and in last place in the American League East in what has been a disappointing season for the Bronx Bombers. This led ex-Yankees prospect Ben Ruta to point the blame towards the organization's over reliance on analytics.

In a recent episode of the "Foul Territory" podcast, host Scott Braun read off comments from Ruta, who claims significant changes are on the way for the franchise after their dramatic pivot to analytics failed. Specifically, Ruta said the minor league coaches hired by recently fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson will need to be replaced.

"Fully expect them to clear house in the minor leagues," Ruta wrote, per Braun. "All the coaches were brought in by Dillon Lawson and the analytics guys. Lawson is the hitting coach who was let go. They will change developmental culture back to old Yankees days. Keep in mind, I played in the Yanks org. before analytics in '16 to '18, and then after in '18 to '20. Stark difference in development."

Ruta was a 30th-round pick of the Yankees in the 2016 MLB Draft, and played in their minor league system from 2016 to 2020. According to Ruta, the organization neglected fundamentals once it went all-in on analytics.

"Here's all you need to know: In 2020, before COVID, we played a game called pitchers vs. hitters," Ruta wrote. "The only way to win was to walk or hit a ball 95-mph-plus. There is no baseball being taught there anymore. No base running, moving runners, fundamentals, etc."

Ruta took to social media to offer some further explanation that analytics belong in baseball. That said, the maddening aspect is that the team points to underlying numbers as a reason to be optimistic despite being in last place.

"New York is a tough market," Ruta posted. "Fans and media. Analytics are fine BUT when you have a bad product (and it's obvious) and it gets defended by constantly telling you it's not as bad as it looks b/c so and so analytic is actually really good. This is how a fan base gets frustrated."

The Yankees rank 31st in batting average (.231) and 26th in on-base percentage (.306). With just over a month left to play, New York is 6.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot in the AL.