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Former Yankees Captain Questions Aaron Boone Amid Dreadful Collapse

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jake Elman | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 8:24 AM ET

Of all the differences between Aaron Boone and Billy Martin, let’s start with an easy one: Martin actually won a World Series with the New York Yankees, both as a player and a manager.

Longtime Yankees third baseman and former captain Graig Nettles identified another contrast: how the two handled criticizing players amid prolonged slumps.

Despite Saturday’s 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros, the Yankees still sit 5 1/2 games back in the AL East. Only half a game separates the Yankees and surging Cleveland Guardians for the AL’s third and final Wild Card spot, and questions about Boone’s future in New York continue mounting.

Speaking with The Athletic during Saturday’s Old Timers’ Day, Nettles acknowledged that Martin — who managed the Yankees over parts of eight seasons across five stints — likely wouldn’t have handled the Yankees’ summer woes the way Boone has. The Yankees are 27-33 since June 1 and 18-19 in one-score games.

“I don’t think [Martin] would have coddled the players,” Nettles said.

Boone has always been loyal to a fault, though he’s recently come under fire for his stubbornness and reluctance to bench key players. He’s notably fought publicly in favor of error-prone shortstop Anthony Volpe and struggling reliever Devin Williams, who officially lost his closer role earlier this week.

Nettles said he wished that the Yankees could hire a second-base coach to solve their baserunning miscues and lack of awareness, especially after catcher Austin Wells and second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s viral mistakes over the past week.

“Maybe if the coaches were out there, he could protect them,” Nettles explained.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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