Report: New York Yankees hiring Aaron Boone as next manager

Aaron Boone is jumping into the deep end when it comes to his managerial career, reportedly taking the biggest job out there as his first gig.

The New York Yankees have apparently decided that the right fit is more important when it comes to their managerial vacancy. That’s a good thing, because Aaron Boone doesn’t have any.

Despite never having coached or managed at any level, Boone is set to become the next manager of the New York Yankees, according to the New York Daily News. Boone was one of six candidates to interview for the job, beating out a group that included Eric Wedge and Carlos Beltran.

Boone did play for the Yankees in a short but memorable stint during his 13-year MLB career. His walk-off, 11th inning home run to win Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS was one of the more memorable playoff moments of this century, especially since it prolonged the then-current agony of the Boston Red Sox in the process.

The Daily News said that the Yankees were looking for “a strong communicator who could be open-minded to new ideas — including analytics and performance-science.” That last part might be one of the main differences between Boone and the man he replaces, Joe Girardi, though we won’t know for sure until he start managing some games.

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One thing Boone does seem to have in spades is the personality to both deal with a relatively young Yankees team and thrive in the spotlight of the New York media. He’s actually as familiar with the media as you can be, having most recently worked as an analyst for ESPN.

Still, it’s a risk to turn over the most famous baseball team in the world, one that came within one game of reaching the World Series in 2017, to someone so untested. It should be fascinating to see if Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner are making the right move.