Insiders’ commentary on Yankees bringing back Aaron Boone is deflating
![NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees in action against the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium on June 20, 2021 in New York City. The Yankees defeated the Athletics 2-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_752,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fyanksgoyard-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2021-2F09-2F1328403049-850x560-202eb17d2b5f3491d35ca115a91c91eb.jpg)
The one positive aspect of the MLB lockout has been the reprieve of anti-Aaron Boone content and commentary from New York Yankees fans, analysts, social media personalities and publications/blogs. He simply hasn’t been able to do anything to make us punch through a nearby wall.
But then came a quick reminder about the four-year contract he was given this offseason despite failing spectacularly the last two years with better rosters than he had in 2018 and 2019. That’s admittedly still a sore subject, but it just hasn’t been at the forefront of discussions surrounding the team.
Thanks to NJ.com, however, three writers who are very close to the team spoke about the team’s decision to re-up Boone and it’s really deflating stuff. Reading what they had to say will only make you feel worse about the decision made shortly after the 2021 season concluded.
Where do we even start? Boone’s tenure has been up-and-down. The 2018 and 2019 seasons were characterized by a humming offense on autopilot, with Boone having to do little maneuvering. Then came the difficulty of navigating 2020 and 2021 and … the results were even worse.
It felt like fans didn’t see much growth from Boone in the “baseball instincts” department. The same decisions over and over, regardless of the situation, no matter how drastically the urgency shifted.
If that was among the reasons you were upset about Boone, well, don’t be surprised when you’re getting more of the same.
Someday, baseball will be played again, and Aaron Boone will manage the Yankees. Discussing where he's at w/ his new contract w/ @RandyJMiller and @BobKlap — https://t.co/RlOZ2OTlIo
— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) February 14, 2022
Here’s what a few Yankees insiders had to say about Aaron Boone’s return.
Here are a few blurbs from NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty, Bob Klapisch and Randy Miller about Boone:
Kuty: “I think the Aaron Boone that we’ve seen is the Aaron Boone we’ll continue to see. He’s preached consistency. He’s preached being the same person day in and day out. I don’t even know at this point what a revamping would mean for Aaron Boone or what a style change would mean for him. He’s always been so even keel and process oriented. The Yankees brought him back knowing what they were getting, knowing what he’s been, and finding solace in that. I don’t see there being a very different Boone going into 2022.”Klapisch: “That’s not going to please a lot of the fans at the stadium or YES (Network) viewers who are just hungering for an edgier manager, one who doesn’t just get on to the postgame interviews and preach the 162, that every game and every loss and every victory, they’re all the same and that it’s just part of a mathematical equation … The team has been moving backward the last two years. You’re right, Brendan, Boone is not going to change his managerial style.”Miller: “It’s interesting when you look at Boone’s coaching staff. It’s grown by numbers … But it’s fascinating to me that Boone is now trying to get over the hump with a lot of guys that do not have a lot of big-league time as a player or coach.”
The themes here? Expect “consistency” in Boone’s approach; don’t expect him to change his managerial style; and don’t be surprised if there are hiccups with a revamped, somewhat inexperienced coaching staff around him.
Aaron Boone weighed in on Buck Showalter's hiring just now on a Yankees Zoom call: "I think the Mets got a really good one in Buck and excited that he's back," Boone said.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) December 22, 2021
Sadly, his successes and failures will now be directly compared to Buck Showalter, who the Yankees could’ve hired after Boone’s contract expired. Instead, they opted to keep him while Showalter left the YES Network to manage the New York Mets, despite diagnosing the Yankees’ countless issues eloquently and constructively in his role as an analyst.
All any fan can do is hope that there’s a slight change on Boone’s end or the roster doesn’t underperform for the third year in a row. Perhaps both occur in unison and we see the Yankees achieve their true potential … there’s just sadly no evidence or inclination to believe that will happen, though.