Since Aaron Boone became the New York Yankees’ field manager in 2018, the team has never dipped below a .500 win-loss record. In a regular season, not affected by COVID-19, the Yankees have earned 100 wins or more. This abbreviated campaign has posed significant challenges for players and their conditioning. Boone has done his best to supplement injuries and deficiencies across the board, but sometimes things are more strenuous for no apparent reason.
In 2019, the Yankees dealt with a number of injuries, setting records for the number of players that hit the injured list. Nonetheless, they still recorded 103 wins without Giancarlo Stanton for virtually the entire season and Aaron Judge for 60 games. That doesn’t even include the loss of Luis Severino and an inconsistent starting rotation. Nonetheless, Boone willed his team to victory on an everyday basis, finishing with a .636 win-loss percentage.
The Yankees fought their way to the AL divisional series, in which they lost to the Houston Astros, thanks to their cheating ways. While Boone didn’t earn coach of the year, he certainly helped his team more than any other could’ve imagined. That is why general manager Brian Cashman believes he is the long-term field manager for the Yankees and expects him to be around for a long time.
Jon Heyman, MLB Network report, spoke with Brian Cashman on “Big Time Baseball,” stating:
“We’re about trying to have great players and great people, so we’re lucky about Aaron Boone … Obviously, we have a club option for him and certainly hope that we can have him for a long time,†Cashman said. “I had a chance to work with Torre for 10 years, Girardi for 10 years, and I’d love to be in a position that Aaron Boone could be here for a similar type of timeframe. I’d say he has a more likely chance to last more than me, because 10 years is a lot longer for me, I guess,†Cashman added, with a chuckle.
Cashman, who has been under fire many times during his career, has done everything in his power to help the Yankees succeed. Spending boatloads of cash on premium level players, no one can argue that he hasn’t done enough to put the Yankees in a position to win. Untimely injuries and inconsistencies have been their downfall, something he simply cannot control. However, Cashman compared Boone to Joe Girardi, who spent ten seasons as the Yankee manager.
Girardi had an illustrious career with the Bombers, spending most of his 40s and his early 50s leading them. Over ten years, he only broke 100 wins once in 2009, something the Yankees have done twice in three seasons with Boone, so far. He earned three 1st place finishes in the division and never dipped below fourth. Winning the World Series back in 2009, that has been Girardi’s trademark, something Boone has yet to accomplish but has plenty of time left to do.
Early on, the return on Boone seems to be solid, and with growing experience, he should only improve along with his team. He has made plenty of mistakes along the way, but Cashman believes he is the long-term future of the franchise.