About The Off-Season: Meanderings Of My Mind

About The Off-Season: Meanderings Of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

October 12, 2028

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The Yankees were eliminated in the Divisional round of the playoffs earlier this week. That was not a surprise. It happens every year. The only thing that makes it mildly interesting is trying to determine the round in which the Yankees will be eliminated. The last time the Yankees won the final game of a season was 2009. Aaron Boone has been the manager of this team since 2018. He has managed the Yankees for nine years without winning a World Series championship. He is the king of the participation ribbon. As the Yankees end yet another season of futility and failure, they need to make some decisions.

The Yankees are never a bad team. They have not had a losing record in over 30 years. They make the playoffs virtually every year. By the virtue of making the playoffs, they seemingly have a shot to win the World Series every year. Actually, they don't. I firmly believe that as long as Aaron Boone is the manager, the Yankees will never win the World Series. Is this acceptable to Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman? If Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman are satisfied with moderate success and all the money that the team makes, then they can keep plugging along and sending Boone out there to incoherently babble excuses when the team comes up short every year. However, if they actually want to win the World Series, they need to make some changes.

At this point, the perception of the Yankees throughout Major League Baseball is not what it once was. Other teams used to look at the Yankees with envy and awe. Now, opponents openly mock and ridicule the Yankees after they beat them on their home field to advance in the playoffs. Enough is enough. Since I now have no games to recap until at least March, I will revert to my traditional off-season practice of offering my “Meanderings of the Mind” column on Mondays. I will now lurch from topic to topic like an overstimulated toddler in a room full of toys.

·      In my column the other day, I made my suggestions for the 2027 Yankees manager and coaching staff. I want to clarify one thing. My selection of Andy Pettitte as the pitching coach was not in any way a criticism of Matt Blake. I honestly believe that Blake is an excellent pitching coach and has done a tremendous job for the Yankees. However, I was very intrigued by the fact that Cam Schlittler, the team's ace at this point, contacts Andy Pettitte during games that he is pitching. Pettitte is already on the team’s payroll, so it is not an act of betrayal. It just indicated to me that Schlittler and others reportedly including Will Warren, hold Pettitte in extremely high regard. If that's the case, why not make it official and make Pettitte the pitching coach. Matt Blake could be promoted to run the pitching program for the entire organization so that everybody is on the same page and can benefit from expertise.

·      Why is being a Yankees fan just like living in Hawaii? Because when your winter starts, it's still 70° outside.

·      I am putting the finishing touches on my latest novel, “The Morgenmuffel”. Morgenmuffel is a German word that means someone who is a grump or grouch, particularly in the morning. The main character is a retired sheriff in Utah who is extremely curmudgeonly. Through a series of circumstances, he is essentially forced into forming friendships with his neighbors. The main character, Byron Locksley, enjoys hunting every fall and early winter. I had to do a tremendous amount of research about hunting seasons, bag limits, and what types of rifles are the best to use for each type of hunting. I used to do a lot of target shooting but never really went hunting. It really is a very interesting topic. Under other circumstances, for example if I lived in a state like Utah, I might consider going hunting when I become more mobile. However, here in Connecticut it's not going to happen. The squirrels and chipmunks are safe.

·      I think the Yankees are building a very nice core of homegrown talent. Obviously, Aaron Judge is one of the best, if not the best player the organization ever produced. When you add in Ben Rice, Cam Schlittler, George Lombard junior, Spencer Jones, Will Warren, Anthony Volpe, Clarke Schmidt, and even Austin Wells, that is a pretty formidable group. Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodriguez, who I know was acquired in a trade from the Red Sox but was developed in the Yankees system over the last couple of years, it looks even better. There are some other very good young pitchers and position players down in the minors as well. If these players are carefully and patiently developed, they should continue to have success. Aaron Boone has never really shown a great deal of ability or patience when it comes to dealing with younger players. That is one of the many reasons why he should be removed as the manager heading into 2027. Think about it, with the exception of third base, and first base when Rice is the DH, the entire Yankees infield, including catcher, will be homegrown.  Two of the three outfielders will also be homegrown, Aaron Judge and Spencer Jones. I am hopeful that with a new manager, next year's team will have better results. A large part of this will be the continued maturation of their young players. It will be George Lombard junior's first full season in the Major Leagues and most likely the first year of Lombard and Volpe forming a double play combination. I also expect Jones to flourish in his first full year in the Majors. There is a lot to be excited about, provided the Yankees hire a manager who will nurture the growth of his young players rather than stunting it.

·      It is unlikely that the Yankees will bring back Paul Goldschmidt next year. That means that Luis Garcia junior will be the primary first baseman, with Ben Rice serving as the DH and playing first base when Garcia needs a day off. If the Yankees don't resign Garcia after next season, Rice would then shift to first base full-time to allow Aaron Judge to be the DH on a more regular basis. During this season, Rice fell into disfavor as a first baseman. That needs to change. Rice needs to play as much first base as possible so that he can improve his ability there. That way, when Aaron Judge needs days as the designated hitter, Rice will not have to come out of the lineup. Garcia had previously played second base but was a defensive liability there. The best situation would be If Garcia could play third base, but that does not seem likely. The point is that Garcia is only under contract through next season. Amazingly, he will only be 27 years old in 2027. If the Yankees do not resign Garcia after next season, Rice would most likely become the full-time first baseman in 2028 and beyond. Therefore, it would behoove the Yankees to have Rice play there as often as possible in 2027. Additionally, if Garcia is no longer a Yankee after next year, and Rice plays first base, it would free up the designated hitter position for Aaron Judge to use it on a more regular basis.

·      I am very intrigued by the Yankees minor league outfield prospect Luis Durango. He is a left-handed slap-hitting outfielder with tremendous speed and virtually no power. Through three levels of the minor leagues last season, he batted .320 with a.763 OPS. He had no home runs. He did have 46 stolen bases. He is not your typical player for the Yankees. However, imagine him as a leadoff hitter getting on in front of Ben Rice, Aaron Judge, and whoever else the Yankees have at the top of the lineup. I think it would be a stretch for him to make the team at the beginning of the year in 2027. However, if he is at AAA in Scranton, he could come up if needed, at least as a fourth outfielder and pinch runner. He would bring a whole new dimension to the team, and I think it's at least worth considering when he is ready to do so. He probably needs a little more seasoning in the miners.