Droppin’ Dimes: Why the Yankees need to move on from Aaron Boone

After a soul-crushing 7-6 game five loss in the World Series, Yankees fans have been left with an insatiable desire for new leadership. 

In 2003, the New York Yankees made a trade for Cincinnati Reds’ third baseman Aaron Boone at the trade deadline. This move would change the course of the remainder of the 2003 season and beyond for New York. In game seven of the American League Championship Series, Boone stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the 11^th to face off with the late-Tim Wakefield. Boone emerged as the unlikely hero, launching a stadium erupting home run deep to left field to send the Yankees to the World Series. Boone and the Yankees parted ways after the 2003 season, but his heroics in that game seven left behind an unshakable legacy in the Bronx.  

Or so we thought.  

In December of 2017, Boone returned to the Bronx to take over the role of general manager, replacing a fellow former Yankee, Joe Girardi. This move excited many Yankees fans but concerned others. Boone had a deep knowledge and understanding of the game and had spent a lot of his post-playing days in a broadcast role as an analyst. But a major point of contention for fans was the fact that Boone had never been in a managerial position prior to getting the job.  

With Boone as the skipper, it has been nothing but disappointment and heartbreak in the Bronx. From wild card, a blowout loss against Boston, to a four-game sweep in the ALCS and, most recently, letting up a five-run comeback in game five of the World Series, it’s time for a change.  

Decision making is a big factor that has turned the fans on Boone. Game one of the World Series gave fans plenty to be upset about. To start, taking Gerrit Cole out of the game after throwing just 88 pitches and only allowing one earned at the end of the sixth inning. Cole had complete control over the game and was dominating Los Angeles’s star-studded lineup. Yankee icon and former teammate of Boone, Derek Jeter commented on the decision.  

“If you take him out after 88 pitches for I don’t know what reason, it’s a domino effect on not only this game tonight, tomorrow’s game and the rest of this series. I just think when you have someone that’s dealing like Gerrit Cole was dealing tonight, you leave him out there as long as you can.” Jeter said.  

Boone made another detrimental decision later that game. In the bottom of the tenth, the Yankees faced bases loaded, two outs and Freddie Freeman coming to the plate. Boone decided to bring in Nestor Cortes to close the game, who had not pitched in over a month and was expected to miss the playoffs with an injury. On his first pitch, Freeman blasted a grand slam to win game one for the Dodgers. This mistake shattered the spirits of the team and the fans, giving the Dodgers the momentum to take an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the series.  

It’s no secret that the team loves Boone, and for good reason. As a former player himself, he feels a deep connection with his players. He is a stand-up guy and is a very supportive leader in the clubhouse. While that’s all well and good, as a coach, there comes a time when you need to stop being your players’ friend and hold them accountable when they are not meeting expectations. Throughout this past year, Boone refused to move DJ LeMahieu to the bench despite his average staying south of .200 for the entire season and rarely hitting for extra bases. While LeMahieu has been great for the Yankees in the past, his drop off in offensive production led to him creating a gaping hole in New York’s lineup. This is not the only time Boone has shown commitment to underperforming veterans. In recent years, guys like Josh Donaldson and Joey Gallo stayed in the lineup despite their severe inconsistencies at the plate.  

The Yankees have perennially had one of the highest payrolls in baseball. This past season, New York spent 309 million dollars, second only to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Year after year, they are loaded with talent and are always expected to make it to the World Series. Despite this, the Yankees still manage to come up short in the playoffs year after year. While their brightest star, Aaron Judge, did not bring his best to the post season, a lot of the blame needs to be placed on the way this team has been coached. 

According to a report from Joel Sherman of the New York Post, in scouting meetings with the team, the Dodgers told their players that the Yankees were a “talent over fundamentals team.” According to the Dodgers metrics they viewed the Yankees as “the worst positioned outfield.”  The Yankees were very inconsistent defensively, which was put on display in the fifth inning of game five when the New York defense completely collapsed, allowing the Dodgers to get back into the game. The Yankees were also one of the worst baserunning teams in the league, as put perfectly by John Sterling, “that’s what they do, run the bases like drunks.” These are all issues that directly reflect Boone’s management of the team. When you’re one of the most talented teams in the league, that doesn’t make up for making poor fundamental mistakes. The responsibility falls onto the coaches to provide detail-oriented discipline to not allow these avoidable mistakes. A team needs a manager who is not afraid to hold their players in check, and not rely on the talent of their team to get the job done. 

Boone’s persistent shortcomings in leadership have held the team back. The Yankees used to be a franchise that demanded excellence. This is the longest they have gone without a World Series Championship since their 18-year drought from 1978-1996.  

With the window of opportunity slowly beginning to close on this era of Yankees baseball, it’s time for New York to bring in a manager who can turn talent into titles.