For several weeks now their has been heavy speculation surrounding Aaron Boone as the favorite to land the Yankees managerial job. So, it is no surprise that the announcement has finally been made. However, the surprising aspect of it all, is the transition of types of managers the Yankees are making. Joe Girardi was at the helm of the prestigious organization for ten seasons. During that time the Yankees won one World Series Title and made the playoffs six times. Before Girardi was with the Yankees he had a dense resume as a coach. The manager before Girardi, Joe Torre, also had plenty of coaching experience.
Boone has no coaching experience at all, he went from the field to the press box becoming an analyst. Seems that the Yankees are not only going young with the roster, but also the coaching staff. It could be possible that watching the Astros win the World Series helped influence Cashman even more so to hire young. But, despite all the positives the Yankees see in Boone, it will be a struggle for him to succeed immediately.
Obviously hiring a young manager to help build a winning team with emphasis on growing the farm system and using analytics worked out for the Astros, but it took time. So, after losing in 7 games in the ALCS, the Yankees are clearly not wanting to rebuild. Aaron Boone, in time, could make a great manager, but it is rare to that he will succeed quickly. Thankfully though, Boone will have an experienced coaching staff on his side to help guide him through the managing process.
Without Gardenhire on his side, Lovullo of the D-backs may not have led Arizona to a first round postseason birth. But, the D-backs and the Astros may be part of the exceptions. For example, Brad Asmus did not work out with the Tigers, and Paul Monitor of the Twins took a while to get his team to where they are. The point is, Boone is going to have to lean on coaches like Larry Rothschild, Tony Pena and Rob Thomson in order to keep the Yankees at the level they are. In time, the Boone hiring could be a sneaky superb hiring. Cashman is saving money to not only hire a potentially fantastic players-manager, but sticking with the new look New York Yankees.
