Pinstripe prototype
Bowden: Boone fits mold of modern MLB manager, despite lack of experience
If Aaron Boone does interview to become the next Yankees manager, he would do so without any coaching or managerial experience — a hole in a résumé general manager Brian Cashman wouldn’t rule out last week.
Despite that lack of experience in the dugout, Boone is qualified for the job, according to the GM that drafted him out of USC in 1994.
“He’s got some special traits,” said Jim Bowden, who was the Reds general manager from 1992-2003 and selected Boone in the third round. “He understands the game as well as anyone because he’s been around it as long as anyone. And he’s studied it as much as anyone. It’s in his blood.”
Boone’s father, Bob, played 19 years in the majors and managed for six. Boone’s grandfather, Ray, and brother, Bret, also had lengthy major-league careers.
As for Aaron Boone, he played for 13 years and since his retirement has worked as a baseball analyst for ESPN.
“He matches the prototype of [Houston manager] A.J. Hinch, [Dodgers manager] Dave Roberts and [new Red Sox manager] Alex Cora,’’ said Bowden, now a SiriusXM analyst. “They’re part of a new wave of managers with communication skills and an ability to connect to players. That’s something Aaron has always been able to do and he understands analytics.’’
Before winning the World Series earlier this month with Houston, though, Hinch managed in Arizona. Roberts was a coach with the Padres prior to getting the Dodgers job. And Cora served as Hinch’s bench coach with the Astros before moving to Boston.
“OK, so he doesn’t have coaching experience,’’ Bowden said of the 44-year-old Boone, who spent part of 2003 in The Bronx and hit the game-winning homer in Game 7 in the ALCS against the Red Sox. “He has the knowledge. Maybe 10 years ago, he’d need to spend time coaching. Not now. He has a global perspective of the game. He’s intelligent and works with people.’’
So far, the Yankees have officially interviewed bench coach Rob Thomson and former Indians and Mariners manager Eric Wedge to replace Joe Girardi.
Last week, in describing what he’d be looking for in a new manager, Cashman pointed to having an ability to have a “connectivity and communication level with the players in that clubhouse.’’
Bowden believes Boone can provide that.
“Even when he was playing, you’d see him talking to other players, managers and even GMs on the field and that’s still what he does now,’’ Bowden said. “He saw the game through a lot of lenses and it was easy to pick up on how much he knew.’’
And he’ll also be helped by his background in the game.
“His entire life has been baseball,” Bowden said. “You need to get guys to buy into what you’re doing, especially with analytics and taking guys out early in games, like Roberts did with Rich Hill. You need to be a leader to do things like that and that’s what Aaron is.”