Yankees Owner Hal Steinbrenner Backs Manager Joe Girardi, Blames Players

New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner defended manager Joe Girardi, his coaching staff and general manager Brian Cashman on Wednesday and blamed players for the team’s poor start this season, which bottomed at 9-17.

Yankees Owner Hal Steinbrenner Backs Manager Joe Girardi

The Yankees are currently in last place in the AL East at 16-22.

Mark Teixeira, Chase Headley, Michael Pineda and Luis Severino were singled out for criticism, while pitching coach Larry Rothschild, Aaron Hicks, and Starlin Castro were also praised alongside Girardi and Cashman. Headley was also somewhat praised.

”The coaches are doing a good job,” Steinbrenner, 46, said. ”These are professional athletes. They’re the best baseball players in the world, and sooner or later it comes down to them, on the inside, to push through whatever it is they’re going through and to persevere.”

Far less angrily than his father George, who hounded the team from his purchase in 1973 until almost the moment of his death in 2010, Steinbrenner analyzed the Yankees in depth, and spoke with some hope.

”Needless to say, the first five weeks were disappointing, frustrating, particularly looking at the offense,” he said. ”Clearly not living up to their potential. When you look at a guy like Mark Teixeira, clearly he’s not playing to his potential with the bat.”

Texeira, a three-time All-Star first baseman, started the day with a .211 average and 11 RBIs.  After going 5-3 with a 2.89 ERA as a rookie, Severino is 0-6 with a 7.46 ERA and is on the disabled list with a triceps injury. Pineda is 1-5 with a 6.60 ERA – 102nd among 104 qualifying pitchers in the major leagues. Headley didn’t have an extra-base hit until May 12.

Girardi, who spoke in Phoenix prior to the Yankees’ 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, understood Steinbrenner’s sentiment.

”If I was the owner, I’d be frustrated, too,” Girardi said.

After missing the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time in two decades, the Yankees returned last October only to lose to the Houston Astros in the AL wild-card game. For their first 22 home games, the New York team averaged 38,587 fans, on track to surpass last year’s average of 39,992 given the larger crowds that usually show up when school is out.

”Pineda is concerning – all these strikeouts and yet he’s given up these runs,” said Steinbrenner. “Clearly he’s giving up runs early. Clearly there’s been issues with his slider. Again, Larry can only do so much. Whatever technically is wrong with the delivery, Larry’s going to work on, but the rest is up to Pineda to figure out. He’s a professional and that’s what we expect from him and that’s what his teammates expect from him.”

The deadline for trades without waivers is on August 1.

”Season tickets are slightly up, which is the first time in four or five years that that’s been the case,” Steinbrenner stated. ”I don’t know if it’s making the playoffs one game or not. I don’t know if it’s some of the young players, Hicks, Castro, (Aroldis) Chapman, some of the guys we brought on. I don’t know. But the fans have been excited.”

The owner also stressed the need for the Yankees to always have veteran stars, even as they add younger players.

He looked ahead to prospects such as first baseman Greg Bird and pitcher James Kaprielian, who are both hurt, and shortstop Jorge Mateo.

The Yankees won six World Series titles while George Steinbrenner was in charge, but their only World Series under Hal was in 2009.

‘If my name wasn’t Steinbrenner, I wouldn’t be here,” he said. I don’t look at this as something I deserve. I’ve been given this. It’s a gift. I respect it, and I enjoy it.”

PHOTO: NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 11: Managing general partner and co-chairperson Hal Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees looks on during a news conference introducing Masahiro Tanaka (not pictured) to the media on February 11, 2014 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)