by Paul Semendinger
November 8, 2023
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Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman talked to the media yesterday. Neither said anything of true value. But I have some thoughts...
First Hal Steinbrenner stated that Aaron Boone would be coming back as manager. Mr. Steinbrenner noted that he thinks Aaron Boone is a good manager. (Bluntly, I think he's wrong. I do not think Aaron Boone is a good manager - at all.) Steinbrenner also stated that he asked his assistant general managers, players, and (at least) two ex-players (Andy Pettitte and Nick Swisher) what they thought about Aaron Boone. It seems that the votes were unanimous. Everyone in the organization seemed to support Aaron Boone and his return as manager. Fair enough, I guess, but...
In my experiences as a leader, often times the most functional organizations and teams actually have disagreement. I don't see it as a great thing when everyone always agrees. To me that is a result of some type of organizational failure. Healthy debate is a good thing. Is it possible, could it be possible, that since everyone realized that Boone was coming back (this isn't a surprise to anyone) that no one wanted to go against the owner's or the general manager's wishes? Is that at least possible?
If Aaron Boone was fired, it would make Brian Cashman (and Hal Steinbrenner) look pretty bad. They brought in a novice with no leadership experience to manage the Yankees and take them to a World Series. In that mission, Aaron Boone has failed. He failed to deliver for six years. Boone's failure in this regard also indicates that Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner also failed.
When Boone was hired, the fans were assured that he was the right man for the job. We were told that Cashman and his team did all of their due diligence. (I never believed that because it never made any sense to hire someone with no managerial or coaching experience at any level to manage the Yankees.) The results, if World Series matter (and to me they do), is that Aaron Boone and the team that hired (and re-hired) him have failed. Is it possible that no one wanted to call out the two most powerful people in the organization for this failure? ("Did I do a good job?" "Sure, boss, of course you did.")
When Brian Cashman spoke to the media (with what I saw as defiant tones), he seemed to blame a lot of the Yankees' lack of success in 2023 on injuries and such. Never mind that on these pages many writers, myself included, have stated that if you build a team of fragile players and acquire fragile players, that you can't use injuries as an excuse. But Cashman did. He indicated that the team would have been better without the injuries. He didn't recognize that he built a team of fragile players. It was no surprise that Luis Severino, Harrison Bader, Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson, and others broke down. This even includes Aaron Judge who misses a lot of time. I don't believe injuries are an excuse when they happen when it was clear from the start that injuries were going to be a problem.
Also, when the General Manager says, defiantly, "Injuries are the reason we lost," that's also saying, "It wasn't the manager's fault, he's still a good manager," and in an environment like that, maybe, just maybe, the people under that leader don't feel comfortable saying, "You know, the manager didn't help, it partially was his fault." As such, again, when Hal Steinbrenner asks, "Should we keep Boone?" The answer might have been, in the minds of many, predetermined.
One of the few specifics that Hal Steinbrenner noted as a way the Yankees are going to improve is that they are going to bunt more. This will now be a priority throughout the system. The Yankees are going to bunt more. It seems that this is Aaron Boone's big idea - he sees bunting coming back as a major strategy tool. Bunting.
If I were the owner, when I heard that answer I would have said, "You know, I hear you, very clearly. You want the Yankees to bunt more - that's what'll make the difference? Wow. I never thought of that. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton bunting more. This sounds great." At that moment, I would have stated, "Mr. Boone you just proved to me why you shouldn't be the Yankees manager."
Boone didn't mention better fundamentals, better game management, more hustle, better work from the medical staff in recognizing, diagnosing, and treating injuries... He didn't mention the tons of strikeouts, the inability to hit situationally (maybe he'll develop the two-out bunt), the poor play, the weak lineup, the lack of left-handed hitters and pitchers... No. He mentioned bunting.
In that one little answer, Hal Steinbrenner demonstrated that both he and the manager he hired and supports are so out of touch with what will make this team a winner that I have very little confidence that positive change is coming.
Imagine, being the owner of the New York Yankees and having your first press conference in months and the only true specific you can give is that the team will bunt more because the manager sees this as the new strategy for the future. I imagine the new hitting coach will be an expert in bunting, but, based on reports of who that might be, I don't see that as the case.
If bunting is mentioned as THE strategy, shouldn't the newest coach, the one who will be working with the hitters (ummm, bunters) be an expert in that field?
Almost every other question asked of Steinbrenner was answered with vagueness. He basically said that all free agents are on the table, that we'll see changes but (obviously not with the general manager of manager) and so forth. The one big takeaway (for me, at least) from the whole presser was that the Yankees will seek to bunt more.
Remember the slogan "Pride, Power, and Pinstripes?" I guess 2024's slogan will be "Boring, Bunting, and Boonie." The 2024 Yankees - "We have old, slow, fragile players, but we're gonna bunt." The Yankees are going to be the new version of the 1959 "Go Go" White Sox or the 1985 Cardinals. Yeah, that'll get the fans excited. (This reminds me of 1982 when the Yankees went all-in on speedy players. That also didn't work.)
All those years ago, I never understood why Joe Torre didn't bunt on Curt Schilling in the playoffs. I guess it's finally coming back. "You wanted us to bunt decades ago, well we'll be bunting now!"
John Sterling will need to work on a new phrase - "It is low, it is short, it's a bunt!"
One final thought, if the Yankees rely on bunting as their big strategy in 2024, there's one thing we can be guaranteed of - there will be not bunting hanging from the stadium's rafters after the regular season.
Both of the press conferences/media sessions were frustrating. Brian Cashman insisted that his deals were smart. "Sonny Gray was good after he left us!" and "Other teams also tried Joey Gallo!" Cashman said, "We don't have a big analytics department." He also said, "We do develop good hitters in the system - we do, we do...WE DO!" He swore at times. He was defiant. "I am a good general manager," he seemed to want to yell. Well, it's time for him to prove it. The results for the last many years defy his proclamation.
Both Cashman and Steinbrenner said the Yankees have to win more. On that we agree.
I'm not confident, given their statements, tone, and approach that either truly knows what to do to turn the team around. It seems we've heard conferences like this many times before. It seems now to be a yearly ritual. "We didn't win, but next year will be better. Trust us. We've got this thing."
At this moment, without any big changes (other than bunting) I fear we're going to be hearing the same tired words next year again all while another team raises a World Series flag...
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By the way, the Mets, who will one day soon be New York's top baseball club - just announced a plan to totally remake the area around CitiField into an amazing space. The Yankees have been in the South Bronx for more than 100 years. I know it's complicated, but what have they done to help that area improve? The area where the Old Yankee Stadium was, which was supposed to be a beautiful park, simply...isn't.
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