Since his arrival at the helm of the Yankees, Aaron Boone has not been unanimous among the fan base. He has always managed good teams in the regular season (except in 2020, when the season was only 60 games), but in the playoffs he fails to take his club to the end.
He is not the only one to blame for the team’s failures, but as manager, he must find solutions.
That said, while Boone isn’t always in the good graces of the fans, he has a big fan among his fellow players in Alex Cora. The Red Sox manager holds Boone in high regard, to the point where he says he doesn’t like him being the target of a lot of criticism.
He is an excellent manager. I don’t like when people criticize him because we see his good work. He’s solid, he’s consistent, he protects his players, he’s prepared and he doesn’t hesitate to make adjustments.
Alex Cora on Aaron Boone
There’s a part of me that finds it a little comical to see a Red Sox manager flatter a Yankees manager the way it is considering the rivalry, but the two are good friends, so it’s no surprise.
In fact, Cora is right on some points. Boone never hesitates to defend his players when he has to and it’s true that he brings consistency to the club’s results year after year.
On the other hand, in terms of the ability to make adjustments, this is far from always being the case. Last year, he stubbornly kept Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop despite his setbacks, even though youngsters Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza were in town.
This is not the only example, but it gives an idea.
Overall, I do believe Boone is not a bad manager. He’s not perfect and there’s room for improvement, and with his big club this season (which other managers in the division are also seeing) he’ll have to take them to the next level.
It’s up to him to make the right decisions to bring his team to the World Series.
