The Yankees Have a Leadership Issue 

Donald Stewart

7/9/2024

The Yankees Have a Leadership Issue 

 

The Yankees have lost 16 of 22 games, their third straight season of a 5-15 losing stretch. A run that only happened three times between 1996 and 2021. 

Like a Rock Band on a stadium tour, Aaron Boone brought out his greatest hits in his postgame. For the third straight season he unleashed the line: “It’s Right There in front of Us,” like a broken record, Yankee fans have heard this before, and like the previous times he said it, it led to no tangible improvements.  

Perception is often reality, and through numerous examples already this year, by Aaron Boone publicly defending indefensible things, it is filtering into the locker room that he’s perfectly okay with a lack of effort. Anyone doubting that, just ask yourselves, is the questionable effort and losing increasing or decreasing lately? 

The perception is Boone runs a lax ship. Boone himself is doing little to dispel that notion with his public defense of players. The reality is, during this losing run, we’ve seen clear examples of questionable effort from individuals. A lack of urgency, which even Jack Curry pointed out, and a lack of attention to detail.  

The one common denominator here is Boone’s leadership.  

 

Grisham’s play, a microcosm of a culture problem 

 

During the Cincinnati Reds series, on the 4th of July, Trent Grisham had one of the laziest plays in memory. 

In the grand scheme of things, the play was largely insignificant, it didn’t put any extra runs on the board. However, it’s a microcosm of the culture that exists under Boone. There is no recourse for a lack of effort. Especially, by Boone’s mindless defense of the play in question.  

For instance, down 8-4 late, the Yanks seemingly wanted to go home in time for the fireworks. That was obvious from the team’s body language. Trent Grisham therefore, approached a hit towards him with utter indifference. He casually walked toward the ball taking an age to bend down and grab it, doing neither. Leading to Jeimer Candelario taking the extra bag without breaking a sweat.  

I like Grisham, he’s an excellent fielder and solid role player, but in this instance he was lazy. However, Boone leapt to his defense afterward. 

“Grisham’s relaxed easy nature, would I want him to square up to the ball there? not really….he has an outstanding track record.” First, why wouldn’t he want him to square up to the ball? 

Second, no one questions his track record as a Gold Glove Center Fielder, but that was a lazy play. There is no defending it. By Boone defending the indefensible he’s unknowingly creating a culture that he’s a soft touch with no fear of recourse.  

By communicating it publicly that it wasn’t a problem, he’s indirectly telling the full house of Yankee fans in attendance paying good money, that effort is optional.  

Grisham isn’t even close to the only culprit, but that incident was a microcosm of the larger issues at play. 

We’ve seen numerous examples this season where Gleyber Torres hasn’t run out a groundball or fielded a ball properly. 

The public face of all this is Aaron Boone.  

Now, is he the one making these errors or lax plays? No. But he wears it because he’s managing it. Just like in any walk of life, if employees aren’t working to their maximum effort, the first person looked at is the manager. 

It’s important to dispel the myth that this article is asking for Boone to become someone he isn’t. I understand he’s only doing what is asked from the Front Office. 

I’m not asking him to be Billy Martin grabbing Reggie Jackson in 1977 and escorting him off the field. Heck, he doesn’t have to be Joe Girardi. However, he’d be wise to remember that his allowing it, reflects poorly on his team culture. 

 Boone prides himself as a players’ manager. He doesn’t get too up or down, keeping the locker room relaxed and focused. That’s beneficial when the team is winning and it’s smooth sailing.  

However, the test is when they suffer adversity how can they alter course? As seen by the annual prolonged losing streaks, there does appear to be issues righting the ship.  

Step one in righting the ship is to make clear that effort is the one thing that can be guaranteed. 

 

More Lazy plays excused 

 

Gleyber Torres has had numerous questionable effort plays over the years. Too many to count. But this season on a walk year he’s had more than his fair share. For example, he dropped a lazy basket catch attempt on a routine pop-up by Kike Hernandez against the Dodgers in early June. 

Boone once again defended his beleaguered Second Baseman: “Every time he goes to catch one I go, ‘Ahh,’ because it’s not how I’d do it. But he’s really good at doing it…nobody talks about the good plays he makes.”

Torres leads the American League in errors, leads his position in errors, and has a negative WAR defensively. It’s frankly absurd for Boone to expect platitudes for Torres.  

Later that month, Torres allowed a routine grounder to roll under him, then failed to run hard to first base in the same game vs the Mets.  

Boone did sit him the next day, but framed it to the media that it was more respite than a punishment.  

Boone’s soft approach isn’t filtering through to the players. Gleyber was excused last month for the dropped pop-up, and he follows it up by not playing hard against the Mets two weeks later.