About Spring Training: A Model of Consistency
By Tim Kabel
February 13, 2025
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Well, Spring Training just started but it's comforting to know that's the most important Yankee of them all has lost nothing off his game. He's already in mid-season form. He hit the ground running. Obviously, I'm talking about Gerrit Cole. No, actually I’m not. Well, then it must be Aaron Judge? No, I'm afraid not. I'm referring to the one and only, Aaron Boone.
Yes, he did hit the ground running. Unfortunately, as usual, he was running in the wrong direction.
On the first day of Spring Training, Aaron Boone announced that the Yankees had no injuries. Later it was disclosed that no injuries actually meant two injuries. Jake Cousins has a forearm injury and Clayton Beeter has a shoulder injury. However, Beeter is already throwing so he may not miss that much time. Boone later clarified that he meant that there were no new injuries since Spring Training started. Well, since it was the first day of of Spring Training, any injuries to members of the team would by definition be new injuries. Apparently, Boone spent the off-season boning up on his gibberish and gobbledygook skills. Remember, one of the original reasons the Yankees hired him was that he was a gifted communicator. Jodie Foster was a better communicator in the movie Nell than Aaron Boone is.
Later, Boone offered another pearl of wisdom. After stating that the third base position is an “opportunity for somebody to grab,” he switched gears. Boone said the following: “I’m not going to put anything past a healthy DJ LeMahieu and his ability to hit.” “Hopefully, he's one of those guys that kind of kicks the door in, grabs it and runs with it. We certainly know what he's capable of coupled with being outstanding defensively.”
Let's put on our non-thinking caps and take a closer look at this drivel. On one hand, Boone suggests that there will be a competition among DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza and a new contestant, Jorbit Vivas. Well as Forrest Gump would say, that's fine and dandy. Then, in the next breath, Boone all but declares LeMahieu the winner of the competition that hasn’t even happened yet. He made it clear that LeMahieu is his leading candidate. He is the favorite. To summarize, Boone said that he hopes LeMahieu seizes the job because he believes he is the best choice. He thinks LeMahieu is better than the others. Clearly, he thinks LeMahieu is the best hitter.
There are a couple of problems with this.
First, if you're going to have an open competition among four people, it's not a good idea to openly state you feel one of them should be the winner. Imagine if Bert Parks had done that at a Miss America pageant. Why are Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza, and Jorbit Vivas even going to show up?
The second issue is even more concerning. Boone continues to harp on the fact that we all know what kind of a hitter DJ LeMahieu is. He prattles on endlessly about the fact that LeMahieu was a two-time batting champion. Well, I once had a T-shirt that said I could bench press 350 pounds. I use it to wipe down the counters in my kitchen now. The last time DJ LeMahieu was any good was 2020. We have had two presidential elections since then. In 2020, LeMahieu batted .364. He dropped almost 100 points to .268 in 2021. He has gone down every year since 2020. Last year he batted .204 with two home runs and 26 RBI. LeMahieu was on the verge of being released until Aaron Judge and some other veterans threw themselves on the mercy of the court and begged for a stay of execution. LeMahieu’s offensive numbers last year make the late Bob Uecker look like Ted Williams.
When Aaron Boone makes these impassioned pleas on behalf of DJ LeMahieu, he looks delusional. LeMahieu has not been good for five years. The fact that he's even a candidate for the third base job is disconcerting. To declare him the front runner is absurd. Hopefully, within the next couple of days, the Yankees pull the plug and acquire someone else to play third base and put an end to this charade.
The fact that Aaron Boone is spewing malarkey and balderdash with a side order of hogwash is not surprising. It's what he does. Even though he was billed as the second-coming of Ronald Reagan as far as communication goes, he is practically inarticulate. The things he says make little to no sense. When you add in the way he says it, you need three translators, a slide rule, and a road map to figure out what he's talking about. On top of all that, he he delivers his message with an air of superiority and condescension comparable to Mr. Bean and Inspector Clouseau rolled into one. Unfortunately, those were characters created by gifted comedians. Aaron Boone is real and he's not funny. His act is tired and boring.
I believe that if the Yankees don’t get off to a fast start and maintain it throughout the season without one of Bone’s trademark collapses, he might not be the manager by the end of the season. We all know that DJ LeMahieu will not be the starting third baseman by the end of the season. Maybe he and Boone can sit on a couch somewhere and watch the games on the YES network.
Hate to break it to you, but he’ll be signed to an extension before spring training ends… whether he deserves it or not. The organization will use the money they should have spent for a third baseman on his inflated contract instead. George is probably dizzy from all of the rolling over in his grave.
It's been years and the conclusion is nearly unavoidable
Boone deliberately fails to speak the unvarnished truth about the ballplayers that he is paid to manage
time after time after time, Aaron emphasizes the positives and scants mention of the warts.
it's happened too often to be chalked up to honest enthusiasm
at least, it's rampant puffery
and sometimes, there's a definite odor of mendacity
"Remember, one of the original reasons the Yankees hired [Boone] was that he was a gifted communicator."
Remember what "communication" means in context. It's not "deliver accurate information in a clear, concise and reasoned manner"; it's "spew garbage at people, con them, gaslight them, and say whatever your bosses direct." Boone is, in fact, an outstanding communicator.
I guess that Cashman made Boone take an updated class on what Cashman wants to hear from his manager to say to the media. As much as I believe Boone is just cover for Cashman/the front office, it is getting utterly ridiculous. To me, Boone has no self respect, plus his contract is second rate. At least with George, the Yankees manager knew what he was getting into. Cashman really has made Boone take it.......
Boone do yourself, and your heart the right thing, and just walk away. Cashman doesn't deserve a guy like you as his manager. Cashman threw Boone under the bus last week over Torres. Too many reports from last summer know what he said was…