Yankees broadcaster has interesting defense of Aaron Boone
New York Yankees fans are furious with the performance of their team this season, and nobody is escaping the blame from the owner's box, to general manager Brian Cashman, to manager Aaron Boone.
Yankees play-by-play man Michael Kay would like to see one person removed from that list of scapegoats — and it is Boone.
Kay said on his radio show on Tuesday that Boone is not the issue with the team, and it has more to do with the way the team is constructed and the injuries that have hampered the team for much of the season.
Entering play on Tuesday the Yankees found themselves in last place in the American League East and 5.5 games out of an American League wild-card spot with three teams still ahead of them. That makes the playoffs seem like a long shot, which has to be incredibly disappointing given the standard the Yankees hold themselves to and their payroll.
But Kay is probably right. Even if Boone has his flaws as a manager, and even if this season ultimately costs him his job this offseason, there aren't many managers who are going to make a substantial difference given the roster and what it has dealt with this season.
Reigning league MVP Aaron Judge missed a significant chunk of the season due to a toe injury he suffered in Dodger Stadium, while Giancarlo Stanton and several starting pitchers have been sidelined for significant portions of the season. The injuries continued this past week when it was revealed that Anthony Rizzo was still dealing with a "likely" concussion following a May collision with Fernando Tatis Jr. His performance did a complete 180 after that play, and the injury almost certainly has something to do with that.
All of that is just bad luck.
What is not bad luck, and what is out of the manager's hands, is the construction of the roster. And that is where things fall on Cashman. Even though the Yankees have a huge payroll, there is nothing about the lineup that is overly intimidating outside of Judge. It is a poor statement on the roster and its depth that the Yankees become completely incapable of winning as soon as Judge is out of the lineup. No one baseball team — especially a contender — should be that dependent on one player.
Yankees fans might not like Boone. He is still very far down on their list of problems this season.
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