Aaron Boone has weathered the storm of an up and down season. Unpopular among Yankee fans, his players know better. He deserves another re-up.
Aaron Boone will only be as unpopular among a good portion of Yankees fans as I’ll become for writing this article.
But the fact is that while many of these same fans, myself included at times, were berating Aaron Boone for those pie-in-the-sky meetings with reporters, accused of telling outright lies about the Yankees being better than they were showing – look where they are now.
Now, it’s also a truth that good or bad; it’s always about the players. In this case, the Yankees are where they are today because of players like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gerrit Cole, and a few others – not because of Aaron Boone‘s managerial genius.
But having said that, the best that teams can hope for when they hire a manager is that he doesn’t get in the way of his players. He lets them play, and he has their backs at all times. That is Aaron Boone.
Aaron Boone: All The Things He Is Not
Boone is not the in-game field general dreaming up strategies to combat his opponent like a Bobby Valentine. Nor is he the fireball in the dugout pacing up and down, talking to players, and getting in their face (Reggie Jackson) like Billy Martin was famous for doing.
No, Aaron Boone takes care of business quietly and without fanfare while gathering respect from his players for doing so.
Does he drive us nuts when he takes Jordan Montgomery or Nestor Cortes Jr. out of a game after 80 pitches in the fifth inning? Sure, he does.
Does he frustrate us by his belief in Gary Sanchez when Kyle Higashioka outplays Sanchez behind the plate and doesn’t strike out four times in a row as #24 did this weekend? Sure it does.
Does he tend to single out guys in his bullpen because he has confidence in them (think Chad Green, Jonathan Loaisiga, and soon – Clay Holmes), and does that not reduce their effectiveness during stretches due to overwork? Of course, he does.
Does Aaron Boone give cause to be singled out as a puppet of Brian Cashman’s overreliance on analytics? Definitely, but if you were in his shoes, how forceful (if at all) would you be to buck the boss? Honestly.
Unless the Yankees win the World Series, Aaron Boone will not be named the American League Manager of the Year, but you can bet he’ll garner some votes regardless of how the Yankees finish.
Aaron Boone Is A Winner In The Yankees Tradition
Moreover, numbers don’t lie, and Aaron Boone has a .602 win/loss in four years as manager, plus his teams have won 100 or more games twice.
How many Yankees fans would guess that Joe Torre‘s won-loss record was only three points higher than Boone’s (.605)? He must be doing something right.
Second-guessing has always been part of baseball, especially when it comes to in-game decisions made by a manager.
Having said that, however, how many specific instances can the Boone haters point to when his decision(s) created a loss, and don’t tell me it’s when he brought Pitcher X into a game instead of Pitcher Z – because Pitcher Z is being paid to do a job, regardless of the situation when he enters a game.
Yankees: Don’t Make A Change For The Sake Of Change
Can the Yankees find and hire a “better” manager than Aaron Boone? Of course, they can, just as any team can. But if organizations operated in that manner, we’d see new managers for nearly all teams every year.
Take note also of the fact that Torey Lovullo of the last-place Diamondbacks and David Bell of the disappointing Reds have both been hired back for the 2022 season. They, too, must be doing something right.
So, while Aaron Boone’s legacy will not equate with Joe Torre or even Casey Stengel, he is what he is – and that’s a winner.
Along with his players, Aaron Boone is accountable for the team’s performance, good or bad.
But it makes no sense to scapegoat Boone for things that are out of his control.
The Yankees’ players and front office know and respect Aaron Boone, and that should be the end of the story…
Here’s What Readers Are Saying…
Michael R. Kirkpatrick Too many mistakes like taking Holmes out the other night. And Leaving Sanchez in late innings
Bryan Kenny I don’t get why he’s unpopular among Yankee fans. He was hired with no prior managerial experience and has had 4 winning seasons.
Mike Harrington No, just no.
Susan Abbott Agree 100%! There’s no coach in the league whose game plan hasn’t backfired on them in sticky situations. Does he make me insane with his too early/too late bullpen decisions, hell yes he does. But he has navigated this team through some of the craziest years we’ve ever seen as fans and may ever be seen again. I’m all for another round of Boonie!!!
Charles Levine Totally agree!!!
Louie Buonaiuto Got to win it all for him to come back
Joel Albert He’s getting a new 2-year contract
Jim Kulhawy Sorry, he’s taken a team that was one great away from the WS and it’s gotten worse every year…to the point they may not even make the playoffs this season. His complete ineptitude for in-game decisions, as well as his failure to hold players accountable for their constant mental mistakes, mixed with his ridiculous line-ups, and his inability to motivate players he should be looking for new employment the moment the NYY season ends
Bill Gibbs No! they have been doing it in spite of all of Boone’s mistakes. Time for someone with more baseball knowledge.
Joseph Rivera I believe the storm is not over, we need to get past two more teams like winning the series, then you can say he weathered the storm.
Mitch Horowitz Hell no to a new contract
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
