5 replacements for David Cone, Buck Showalter and Ken Singleton at YES Network

There’s been hardly any turnover on the New York Yankees‘ roster, but the broadcast team that brings you Bombers baseball will see plenty of it on the YES Network.

Beloved former Yankee Ken Singleton has retired. Buck Showalter is now managing the New York Mets. David Cone’s workload has been cut from 100 to 50 games after getting the Sunday Night Baseball gig at ESPN. That’s a lot of high-end talent to replace.

Where do we even begin? We know the Yankees like their classic “buttoned up” candidates who don’t rock the boat or provide the viral social media clips, but they might not have that luxury this time around. We have a new era of broadcasters and former players entering the field, so there are going to be plenty of guys from a younger generation among the frontrunners for these new openings.

The good news is that we narrowed it down to five candidates and they’re all former Yankees, though there are plenty of other possibilities out there. We’re just hoping the team livens the broadcast in the form of these firecrackers.

Truth is, the Yankees need to make up for these departures in a big way. While we’ll still be getting Cone in our living rooms every Sunday night, Showalter could make the Yankees regret not hiring him to man their dugout and Singleton’s soothing voice on the weekend won’t be there to calm fans during a time of crisis.

Time to spice it up, because if there’s ever been a time to be blunt about an era of Yankees baseball, it’s right now.

The Yankees should replace David Cone, Buck Showalter and Ken Singleton with these candidates.

5. CC Sabathia

Sabathia might already be ruled out here for the F-bomb he dropped on a YES broadcast of a Brooklyn Nets game last year … but perhaps that was a ploy for the Yanks to get the hefty lefty accustomed to the booth? Have him get some experience during an NBA game and let him yell a profanity late in the fourth quarter of a blowout to get it out of his system.

We’ve heard an unfiltered version of CC on the R2C2 podcast with him and Ryan Ruocco, but that won’t be suitable for the booth. Nonetheless, we’ve seen a ton of players transition to this role, especially on the NFL side of things where Drew Brees, Greg Olsen, Aqib Talib and others make seamless jumps.

Why can’t Sabathia? He’s an outgoing, honest and knowledgable figure who can provide the necessary insight while also delivering entertainment value for younger audiences. And he keeps up to date with Yankees baseball! MLB is still trying to grow the game, right? Might want to put one of the most beloved pitchers of his generation and a former Yankees World Series champ on the mic if that’s still part of the goal.

CC would bring candor and energy to a Yankees broadcast or pre/postgame show. Who wouldn’t love this?

4. David Wells

Boomer! What a guy. He hasn’t exactly been in the spotlight a whole lot lately (outside of a Trump White House event where everyone pretty much ended up getting COVID), but what a fit he would be for the YES Network.

The burly left-hander was once upon a time one of the best pitchers in the game and took home a World Series with the Bombers (including ALCS honors) in 1998. Like Cone, his career spanned across three decades. He pitched in the late ’80s, then the ’90’s and throughout the steroid era into the mid-2000s.

Wells, also a former Red Sox and Blue Jay, would offer great insight into the AL East rivalries, too. The candor here would be of immense value … but he’ll be one that needs to be filtered like CC. Stories from Wells’ playing days suggest fans would be in for a ride if he’s on TV, given his disdain for umpires and a penchant for losing his cool at times.

Nonetheless, this is another one-of-a-kind personality who spent 21 years in Major League Baseball. He’s seen it all. He can offer endless anecdotes. And imagine him and Paul O’Neill having a good time reminiscing? Yankees fans would be re-living the glory days.

3. Cameron Maybin

After 15 MLB seasons, Cameron Maybin decided to retire before the 2022 campaign … with his last characteristic run of form coming in 2019 with the Yankees. Remember him in pinstripes when that roster was decimated by injuries?

Maybin, across 82 games, hit .285 with an .858 OPS to keep the 103-win Yankees humming along. Perhaps his time in the Bronx made an impression on him because he hinted at potentially being interested in a broadcast job after the openings at YES were being talked about. You hear that, Yankees?!

Another aspect of Maybin’s Yankees tenure that was greatly appreciated was the energy he brought. He has a positive and outspoken personality, ready to impart his wisdom on anyone willing to listen. A former top prospect and near-five-tool player, perhaps there’s an angle Maybin can provide the previous two candidates can’t.

There are some unsavory storylines of his career, but why can’t those be useful talking points on the broadcast? Maybin was suspended for 25 games after testing positive for PEDs back in 2014. Then he was a member of the 2017 sign-stealing Astros team that won a World Series (he later came out and said he regretted not speaking up about the cheating). Makes for good TV!

His demeanor might also be up the Yankees’ alley. He’s not inflammatory and would be an easy voice to listen to.

1. Ryan Ruocco

Ruocco has plenty of experience on the YES broadcast, but perhaps it’s time to start ushering in the new era and have him take over more games. He’s a play-by-play guru and asks all the right questions to the complementing personalities on the call with him.

Yankees fans will never forget his performance during the night of that wild game against the Twins, which ended with Aaron Hicks making a diving catch in center field with two outs and the bases loaded.

The 35-year-old is a New York native, already works for YES and has other gigs at ESPN and DAZN. Why would the Yankees risk losing him in any capacity to another company? Put him alongside Kay for Cone’s 50 missed games and work on transitioning him to the primary play-by-play announcer role.

We’re not actively trying to oust a legend like Kay, but he’s 60 years old and in his 28th year (10 on radio, last 18 on YES). Could he last even longer? Sure. But with his radio show and ESPN A-Rod Cast gig for the 2021 season, perhaps this is an easier changeover to make than anyone expected.

Either way, Ruocco should be on more and more, whether it’s with Kay or not. The liveliness of his voice helps keep you engaged in the seventh inning of a meaningless game and he keeps the conversation pumping with all the right questions and observations. Before ESPN gives him a bigger role, the Yankees better do it.

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