Survey projects Yankees as “biggest letdown” in postseason

Welcome to SB Nation FanPulse, a survey of fans across MLB. Each week, we send 30 polls to plugged in fans from each team. Yankees fans, sign up HERE to join FanPulse.

The 2019 MLB postseason draws closer with each passing day. The Yankees, who can clinch the AL East title with a win tonight, have long been projected to make noise in the playoffs. The team regularly appears in the conversations about potential World Series matchups.

That said, SB Nation’s FanPulse community doesn’t exactly share those high hopes. In fact, 36% of national respondents identified the Yankees as the club most likely to be “the biggest letdown in the playoffs.”

The Yankees have obviously dealt with a barrage of injuries this season, so perhaps fans believe they finally take their toll. The Bombers won’t be at full strength going into the ALDS. The Yankees and Dodgers are also two of the best teams in baseball, so expectations are higher. It’s possibly easier for them to to be a “letdown”, so to speak.

From a team-specific point of view, confidence in the Yankees dipped slightly from last week’s season high. For Week 26, 89% of fans approve of the direction of the team. As for Aaron Boone, his manager approval rating dropped from 92% to 86%. These swings are in line with the general season ebbs and flow. I’m not sure they represent a feeling of the letdown.

If you missed out on this poll but would like to join us for future ones, sign up at the link above. We’ll have more questions and answers next week!