Yankees opt for puppet as new manager

After weeks of interviews and speculation by the press and the fans, the New York Yankees have chosen their new manager. Instead of a manager with experience, the team opted for unexperienced Aaron Boone, the guy that helped the Yankees beat the Red Sox in the 2003 ALCS with a walk-off home run.

The search began on October 28 and took over a month. Several candidates were interviewed. Experienced guys like Eric Wedge, bench coach Rob Thomson and Hensley Meulens, who managed team Kingdom of the Netherlands to two consecutive semi-final spots in 2013 and 2017. Also inexperienced guys like Boone and Carlos Beltran.

When the Yankees and Joe Girardi parted ways, Brian Cashman stated that communication and connectivity were important qualities he wanted in the new manager. With no experience whatsoever, you can wonder if Boone is the right guy for that. One thing is for sure, Hensley Meulens is good communicator. He is liked by his players (both the Giants and the Dutch team) and speaks five different languages which makes it easier to talk with the different nationalities on the Yankees’ squad.

Another important quality according to Cashman is the capability to deal with analytics, something Girardi did lack according to Cashman. By experts, this quality is also explained as being a yes man, a puppet, a marionette. A similar situation as the Dodgers have with Dave Roberts.

One of the pros of Boone is he comes from a respected baseball family. His father managed the Kansas City Royals and the Cincinnati Reds with an overall record of 371 wins and 444 losses. Aaron is the younger brother of Bret Boone and grandson of Ray Boone.

By opting for Boone, the Yankees will lose Rob Thomson, who will join the Phillies as bench coach under Gabe Kapler. Hensley Meulens will stay in San Francisco as bench coach of Bruce Bochy, where he will likely be groomed to become the next Giants manager.

As the New York Daily News stated: Cashman wanted a replacement who was a strong communicator who could be open-minded to new ideas — including analytics and performance science. He knew he wouldn’t be able to find someone who checks all the boxes, but Boone is an engaging personality with a high baseball IQ who has embraced analytics.

Sure you have to give Boone the benefit of the doubt. Joe Girardi also started as an inexperienced manager with the Miami Marlins as he guided the team to a 78-84 record in 2006.

One thing will be very likely, Brian Cashman and the Steinbrenners will push the buttons and Boone will be the one to execute the orders.