Let's start this on a positive note. For example, the Yankees have done a good job with their manager/coaching tree, like Bill Walsh in the NFL and Gregg Popovich in the NBA.
167 miles from where the Yankees will begin the playoffs on Saturday, two longtime Yankees players, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza and Phillies manager Rob Thomson, will face off in their division series. It will be. Joe Espada, another Bronx staff apprentice, has already been in and out of the playoffs, but only got here after a 12-24 start in his first season as Houston's captain. turned out to be a success.
Brian Cashman has long emphasized that the Yankees have a lot of talent, and this is just one example.
But you can also look at this another way. These are the players that were passed on in some way so that Aaron Boone could manage the Yankees or continue to manage the Yankees.
And if there wasn't enough pressure on Boone this postseason, here it is.
- If the Yankees end this season with an annual salary of $309.4 million (Spotrac) and the remaining three AL teams (Kansas City, Detroit, and Cleveland) end the season with a combined salary of $327.8 million, before the World Series playoffs. What will another knockout match do for Boone's job security? ?
- What would happen if Thompson were to replace Joe Girardi and lead the Phillies to their second World Series in three years? Boone has yet to do anything since replacing Girardi in 2017, beating the then-Yankees and others. Bench coaching job? That was Thompson, who wanted to continue his 28-year relationship with the franchise, but was worried that Coach Boone didn't want him on his staff, and took the job in Philadelphia. there was.
- Or what would it mean if the bench coach (Mendoza) who sat next to Boone for the past three seasons led New York's other team to the World Series in his first year with the Mets? Mendoza has been with the Yankees since 2009.
The AL portion of these playoffs is open to the Yankees. They have a home base, and after Houston and Baltimore are eliminated, all that's left is an AL Central opponent of the kind the Yankees have used as a sparring partner for years.
They are heavy favorites to advance to the World Series for the first time since winning it all in 2009. So what happens if it doesn't arrive? Hal Steinbrenner thinks very highly of Boone and likes him. So is Cashman. I mean, everyone likes Boone. That is His grace.
But Steinbrenner has a business to run, so should he just continue with the status quo again? That's why they also have long-term job security in the postseason.
Asked in October if Boone was managing his work, Cashman said “no.” He explained that Boone will be under contract beyond this season. But it's optional. Are the Yankees really going to pick up the option and make Boone the lame duck?
“that [is he managing for his job?] That was your question and that was my answer,” Cashman said.
As for Boone, when asked if he felt like he was getting the job done, he said, “I don't care.” When I asked him why, he said, “Because it's out of my control.” But depending on how your team does, could it really be in your hands? Boone countered: “You always get your job done. That's not what I came in for, so I'm totally fine with whatever happens.”
Look, digging into this subject is no fun. The fan base may want some red meat, especially if October doesn't go well again. But this isn't the kind of villain everyone wants to see fail. To know Boone is to love Boone. “All former Yankees say the same thing: Boone's a great guy,” said one executive who informs players who join his team about their experience elsewhere.
That's the consensus in the clubhouse. They know that Boone has always publicly supported them. It would be a good opportunity for them to get his stuff.
Because this is not a traditional Yankee team. Boone will have to have a lot of control over who plays first base, left field and closeout. Against a Royals team that has four left-handed players doing well, he will have to choose the right time to insert a pinch hitter into the southpaw offense. There are players who defend, and there are players who run.
And his teams have played sloppily on the bases and in the field. The biggest baseball philanthropy was when the Yankees donated 90 feet on each side of the ball. These are areas that are traditionally seen as the responsibility of managers. Indeed, the Yankees believe that hitting hard and throwing hard are the more important ingredients to winning. But for more than $300 million, the Yankees should be able to get it all.
The Royals are big underdogs and will run a guerrilla strategy built around bunting and challenging Jazz Chisholm Jr. at third base to run, run, run at every opportunity. The Yankees need to have enough vigilance and high baseball IQ for the Royals and for their manager.
He had their back. Are they going to get his stuff?
