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The Yankees owe Aaron Boone nothing.
Oh, they might owe him an apology (Gleyber Torres on shortstop) or two (Joey Gallo at all) and a few dollars for the “Savages in the Box!” Year. has become a thing, which seems a few centuries ago. Still, with Boone’s contract expiring after four years of management, the Yankees should have no sense of obligation to Boone for what he has accomplished.
The main question determining this vital decision should not be based on the past but rather on the future:
Is Boone at manager a growth stock?
Because for Boone’s first four years on the job, it doesn’t matter how much you want to highlight his regular-season record of 328-218 (at .601, the eighth-best winning percentage with a minimum of 315 games since 1901) and downplaying his 11-11 playoff mark with no World Series appearances, you can’t seriously claim he was the best manager in the ultracompetitive American League in the East. And you can’t win the toughest division in baseball unless you roll enough top-to-bottom records in the organization. So since he’s not the best right now, the Yankees have to plan if Boone can be the best.
The (modest) bet here calls on the Yankees to bring Boone back over the next few days with a coaching staff ultimately reshuffled after the team’s offense underperformed significantly as the pitcher shone, despite the late fizzle and fatal of Gerrit Cole. Boone’s biggest selling point might be that he’s researched internally. That the players on the whole always seem to like to play for him and that his bosses still like to employ him. Such synchronicity creates potential for growth, as the Yankees believed they would get diminishing returns when they bid farewell to Joe Girardi and Joe Torre in 2017 and 2007, respectively, when their deals hit.
Now here’s the catch: Even though Girardi never won Mr. Congeniality’s honors, no one challenged his preparation, intensity, or ingenuity. He was among the elite in his profession when the Yankees fired him. Ditto for Torre, his gravity and pressurized grace still intact when the Yankees, having reached October without winning everything every year from 01 to 07, offered him a one-year contract to stay and he instead headed for the west to lead the Dodgers.
Alex Cora of the Red Sox, who has just ousted Boone for the second time in four years, is actually behind his 2005 Indians teammate on duty thanks to being absent from the 2020 campaign due to his role in the stealing signs from the 2017 Astros. However, Cora came out with a bang, the fifth rookie skipper to win it all, and watching him even part-time is seeing someone who excels in energy in the game, strategy and in communication with its players and the public. .
Cora’s nemesis, Kevin Cash of the Rays, gets his player buy-in arguably better than anyone in the industry when you consider how Tampa Bay’s limited income forces the Rays to constantly think outside the box. Cash overcame the blunder that cost his team the 2020 World Series (lifting Blake Snell in Game 6) by explaining the decision and proactively discussing it with players and coaches afterwards.
Additionally, Charlie Montoyo of the Blue Jays guided his squad through three home baseball diamonds and significant injuries, most notably to the huge acquisition George Springer, and finished just one game behind the Yankees. It carries an atmosphere of growth.
The competition is fierce and Boone ranks third at best in the division. Under Boone’s leadership, the room for improvement clearly lies in the development (why has Gary Sanchez regressed since Girardi left? What happened to Miguel Andujar and Clint Frazier?) ‘Last two games of year, well managed). Would he do better with different coaches? Can he just improve with more reps?
Is there someone who can do the job better, faster?
I think it’s a close call for the Yankees on whether to keep Boone. I see both arguments. However, if you want to keep him, it can’t be because of what he did. It must be because of what he can do. The Yankees owe it to themselves.
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