Boone, Meulens in running for manager
ORLANDO, Fla. — Aaron Boone and Hensley Meulens will be in the next wave of candidates interviewed to succeed Joe Girardi as Yankees manager, The Post has learned.
Brian Cashman said Sunday the team was suspending the interview process until the general managers’ meetings are complete Thursday. To this point, the Yankees have interviewed Yankees bench coach Rob Thomson and former Mariners and Indians skipper Eric Wedge.
Cashman has not revealed how many candidates he will interview in all. The Yankees reached out to the A’s to find out if their manager, Bob Melvin, could be made available and were rebuffed, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported.
In addition, Raul Ibanez, after some initial dialogue, is not a candidate. The Post has learned neither are two others who have been seen as possibilities, Brad Ausmus and Sandy Alomar Jr.
Boone had been known to be part of a longer list of those who piqued Cashman’s interest enough for the team to do background work on them. But this is the first public confirmation Boone definitely will interview for the position.
Boone played 12 seasons in the majors, and his most famous moment came as a Yankee, when he hit the ALCS Game 7 walk-off homer against the Red Sox in 2003. He has been with ESPN as an analyst since his retirement following the 2009 season.
Boone, 44, never has coached or managed but comes from a baseball family, and the Yankees are intrigued to see if his charisma and passion can compensate for inexperience.
Meulens, 50, was once a touted Yankees prospect nicknamed “Bam-Bam” and played for the organization from 1989-93. He was the Giants hitting coach from 2010-16 and recently was named their bench coach. He served as hitting coach when San Francisco won the World Series in 2010, ’12 and ’14. He has managed both the Curacao team in the World Baseball Classic and in Venezuela during winter ball.
Meulens speaks five languages and has strong ties to Didi Gregorius, working each winter in Curacao with the Yankees shortstop.