The 2022 New York Yankees have been a great team so far, at 66-31 they lead an unforgiving AL East by 12.5 games. Their offense ranks 1st in MLB with a 121 team wRC+, for the most part, they’re a force to be reckoned with despite a July that has made many fans panic or get excited depending on who you root for. Like any team, they have holes, two of those holes are Joey Gallo and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

Joey Gallo was a much-anticipated trade deadline acquisition last year who seemed like a perfect fit, he put up a 139 wRC+ in Texas and was seen as the pull-happy, left-handed power bat who would fit perfectly in Yankee Stadium with its fabled short porch in right field. However, the trade hasn’t worked out, posting a 95 wRC+ with the Yankees in 2021, and an 84 wRC+ so far in 2022. He hits the ball harder than most players, his barrel% in 2022 is in the 98th percentile on Baseball Savant, his BB% is also in the 98th percentile, he has the traits of a great power hitter but he’s not productive.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was part of the exchange between the Yankees and Minnesota Twins that sent Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela to Minnesota in exchange for him and Josh Donaldson (who has also been a dud in his own right). Kiner-Falefa has been about as expected offensively, posting an 85 wRC+ so far in 2022 despite a 12-game hitting streak in which he still just has an 88 wRC+. He has a .271 batting average which is pleasing to the eye of the casual fan, but his barrel% is in the 1st percentile on Baseball Savant, and his BB% is in the 12th percentile. He makes contact, but it’s not good contact.

Both Gallo and Kiner-Falefa are objectively bad hitters, but what makes them so different? Their style of hitting is the opposite of the other, Kiner-Falefa completely sells out power for any kind of contact, and Gallo sells out contact for power. Gallo has a .183 ISO, 81st among 258 hitters with at least 200 plate appearances, while Kiner-Falefa has a .050 ISO, 256th out of 258 hitters with at least 200 plate appearances. Kiner-Falefa has a 52% ground ball rate, while Gallo only has a 27% ground ball rate. Gallo pulls the ball at a high rate (57.5%), while Kiner-Falefa sprays the ball all over the field. Gallo walks at a high rate, while Kiner-Falefa rarely takes a free base. I think you get the point, they’re very different.

Baseball is a game of many things: physics, science, math, chemistry, but it’s also a game of philosophy. For over a century the power and contact dilemma has been a point of discussion, Gallo embodies the philosophy of power, Kiner-Falefa embodies the philosophy of bat-to-ball skills. What makes this particular case so fascinating is that they’re both awful hitters despite each hitter rejecting the other’s approach to hitting. What is left for the New York Yankees with these players is to find replacements as soon as humanly possible, Gallo seems to be on his way out, with deadline rumors heavily connecting the Yankees to outfielders ranging from Michael A. Taylor to Juan Soto. Kiner-Falefa is the one they want to keep around though, they’re not in any rumors for shortstops and Brian Cashman seems to like him, which is a recipe for a player who sticks around for far too long.