Yankees hire Aaron Boone: Media reaction

What a strange turn of events. The Yankees tossed away Joe Girardi after coming just one game away from the World Series, and the organization turns to another person who was important when they were one game away from the World Series: Aaron Boone.

I have mixed feelings. We know nothing about how he’ll be as a manager because there is no track record, but you also have to trust Brian Cashman to an extent.

Cashman did just rebuild the club, after all, and the fact that he halted interviews because he was so impressed with him probably says something.

That’s my piece, but we’re going to focus on what everyone else had to say. There was a lot of buzz in the Yankees media world about this, and rightfully so. I don’t think many people saw this coming, and the commentary is right in line with that. Let’s get right to it.

Tyler Kepner and David Waldstein, New York Times

“Cashman said he had grown concerned about Girardi’s ability to connect with a young roster, and in Boone, he chose a candidate who has long been known as a skilled communicator... The average age of Girardi’s first seven Yankees rosters was always between 29.3 and 31.8 years, according to Baseball Reference... Boone, who is almost nine years younger than Girardi, will perhaps forge stronger bonds with a young core... Whatever their relationship with Girardi, those players helped the Yankees win the top A.L. wild card spot and make a deep playoff run, a rapid rise for a team that seemed to be in transition. After his job interview, Boone said he grasped the demands.”

Marc Carig, Newsday

“‘I think he has a lot of the intangibles that I always felt that Joe Torre had in terms of being highly respected and the magic that he brings to the clubhouse,’ said Bob Boone, Aaron’s father... There will be a learning curve. It will take awhile to get accustomed to making the final call. But while Boone acknowledged that his son likely will endure an adjustment period, he also noted a few built-in advantages. The first includes Aaron’s stint as an ESPN broadcaster, which required prep work that made him familiar with teams all over the league. But the on-field aspect of the job should come quickly.”

Bill Madden, New York Daily News

“Cashman wanted a replacement who was a strong communicator who could be open-minded to new ideas — including analytics and performance science. He knew he wouldn’t be able to find someone who checks all the boxes, but Boone is an engaging personality with a high baseball IQ who has embraced analytics. Still, it is a gamble for Cashman and Co. as Boone has never taken on this type of endeavor before.”

Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic

“I admire Cashman for making a change because he felt Joe Girardi was not the right voice for a younger club moving forward. I admire Cashman’s fearlessness in selecting Boone rather than a safer pick... But I do wonder if this is Cashman’s Icarus moment, the moment when he flew too close to the sun... The game speeds up awfully fast in the dugout, and Boone will be steering the game’s most prized yacht without ever having been behind the wheel at sea.”

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So, if I were to come up with a consensus, it would be something like: Aaron Boone is a very well-respected person within the sport and has great communication skills, but his lack of experience is going to make him a big risk.

What do you think? Do you think Boone’s credentials are worth the lack of experience?