SARASOTA, Fla. — There haven’t been any concession speeches drawn up that we’ve heard about, but the way the New York Yankees are squeezing opponents in the Grapefruit League (weak humor, but it’s spring training for everybody) has some people starting to use that “D” word again.
You’ve heard the word “dynasty” to describe the Yankees before, but it’s been a while. Almost a quarter of a century in fact, but this time it has a familiar ring to it, especially when you consider the cast of characters involved in the managerial department.
Is first-year manager Aaron Boone the new man arriving at just the right time? And, perhaps more significantly, is former manager Joe Girardi destined to become the new Buck Showalter; the guy left behind at just the wrong time?
Those with good memories will recall that it was Showalter who led the 1995 Yankees to postseason play for the first time in 14 seasons (sound familiar?), winning the Wild Card game before being eliminated by the Seattle Mariners. As a reward, owner George Steinbrenner offered Showalter a two-year extension, but it came with a caveat not a carrot — Showalter would have to fire hitting coach Rick Down.
Showalter refused, so technically he “resigned,” a decision he doesn’t second-guess to this day, but one that almost certainly changed the direction of his career and most likely set the stage for Joe Torre to end his by being elected to the Hall of Fame. The “Core Four” of catcher Jorge Posada, left-handed starter Andy Pettitte, center fielder Bernie Williams and shortstop Derek Jeter was in place, and closer Mariano Rivera was knocking on the door of greatness.
Unlike Showalter, who came up through the system as a player, coach and manager for the Yankees (that’s how the Orioles used to do it, too), Torre had previous big league managing experience with what could most generously be described as mixed results. He was a surprise choice (prematurely tabbed “Clueless Joe” by the tabloids), having been recommended to Steinbrenner by Bob Watson, then the Yankees’ general manager. Watson played under Torre with the Atlanta Braves from 1982-1984 and was not deterred by an unimpressive 894-1,003 managing record with the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals.
The rest, we know, is history. The Yankees won four of the next five World Series with baseball’s most recent dynasty, Torre solidified a plaque in Cooperstown, N.Y., and Showalter moved on to help build three teams — the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks, the Texas Rangers and the Orioles — into contenders, even as Girardi succeeded Torre and won another World Series in 2009.
Torre’s departure from the Yankees after the 2007 season was actually similar to Showalter’s. After leading the Yankees to 12 straight postseason appearances, he was offered only a token one-year extension, so he also technically “resigned,” and ultimately took the job in Los Angeles with the Dodgers.
There is no comparison, of course, between Boone and either Girardi or Torre, because both had major league managing experience before getting the Yankees’ job. As a fledgling manager, plucked from the ESPN broadcast booth, Boone brings a pleasing personality (something Girardi was never accused of having, for whatever the reason), good knowledge of the game and some strong convictions. But probably most important, he also brings a willingness to accept and grasp whatever benefits analytics can provide.
Girardi won 910 games while managing the Yankees, meaning his “average” record was 91-71, but the only number that mattered was 1 — his only World Series championship. The Yankees came within one game of the World Series last year, when many think Girardi did his best job.
He wasn’t given the ultimatum of firing a coach, as happened with Showalter, but he didn’t get an offer of extension either. He got a verbal “thanks for your services” pat on the back along with a warning not to let the door hit him in the butt on the way out.
Now baseball people are wondering if we’ve seen this act before. Here comes the new sheriff in town, right after all the crooks had been locked up, while Girardi must be wondering about what he left behind. Showalter doesn’t dwell on the early days of his career (though he doesn’t try to hide his disdain for the Yankees), but anybody who knows his competitive nature and his take-charge personality has to wonder if there aren’t any what-might-have-been moments — just as Girardi must be feeling now.
Things are so boring in the Yankees’ camp that one of the big stories was that Boone was toying with the idea of using slugging outfielder Aaron Judge as an occasional leadoff hitter. I’m not sure how many 6-foot-7, 275-pounders have batted first in major league history, but I’m certain nobody that size, who also led the league in strikeouts, has ever occupied the No. 1 spot in the batting order.
Where Judge bats in the Yankees’ lineup is a moot point really, because he spent most of last year in the No. 2 hole, where his impact was … well … let’s just say it was significant. Where he bats in the lineup will undoubtedly be determined by what the analytics suggest, and it won’t be the toughest decision Boone has to make. He’s part of the “new breed” of managers, all of whom will be guided by analytics that rely on what happened in the past, without regard for what might happen in the future. It’s the “new age” of baseball.
Girardi, Showalter and certainly Torre, would all fall under the classification of “old school” managers today, even though all three bought in somewhat as “the shift” made its impact. Statistics have slowly, but surely, taken over the game, making the term “gut feeling” obsolete.
There is more than a little irony in the fact that Girardi declined to interview with Andy MacPhail before Showalter took the Orioles’ job in 2010. It worked out for all parties concerned, but leaves us with the analytical question of the day.
Did they both sign up for their last rodeo?
Jim Henneman can be reached at JimH@pressboxonline.com
Issue 242: March 2018