The New York Yankees on Monday announced Aaron Boone as their new manager. The 44-year-old Boone receives a three-year contract with a club option for the 2021 season. He becomes the 33rd manager in franchise history.
"Words cannot express how humbled I am to wear the pinstripes again as the manager of the Yankees," said Boone in a statement released by the team. "I want to thank the Steinbrenner family and Brian Cashman for entrusting me with this tremendous honor and responsibility. I believe we are entering into a special time in New York Yankees history, and I am so excited to be a part of it. I can't wait to get to work – and that work starts now."
Boone entered the process as a dark horse. He has never coached before, and has spent his post-playing career largely in a media role. The Yankees are hoping his charismatic personality will help him get across to younger players in a way that the more reserved Joe Girardi could not.
During his playing career, Boone amassed a .263/.326/.425 slash line and hit 126 home runs. He spent part of the 2003 season with the Yankees -- hitting the pennant-clinching home run in the 12th inning of Game 7 of the ALCS against the Red Sox -- and it was his injury that led the Yankees to acquire Alex Rodriguez in time for the 2004 season.
Boone beat out a diverse cast that included former Yankees bench coach Rob Thomson, former Yankees slugger Carlos Beltran, and San Francisco Giants bench coach Hensley Meulens. "Over the past several weeks, our baseball operations department sat down with a number of managerial candidates, all of whom brought a diverse array of baseball knowledge and experience," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman of the search process. "Each interview led to insightful and thoughtful discussions, and I am grateful to the candidates for their preparation, interest and commitment to our extensive interview process.
"When we had the opportunity to speak with Aaron and share concepts and ideas, he was able to showcase a variety of traits that we believe will strongly benefit this franchise as we move forward, including an astute mind for the game and a progressive approach to evolving strategies.
"We also believe Aaron's interpersonal skills and baseball pedigree will allow him to blend well with the systems we have in place, our baseball operations staff and the 25-man roster. On a personal level, I look forward to collaborating with him over the coming years and offering him the support and resources needed to get the most out of our players."
The Yankees will formally introduce Boone during a Wednesday press conference that's scheduled for 12:00 p.m. EST at Yankee Stadium.
