Aaron Boone is not hiding his emotions.
While the Yankees manager, on one hand, is very happy that his bench coach Carlos Mendoza is finally receiving a managerial opportunity, after interviews with several teams the last three years (with the Mets no less), Boone told SNY‘s Andy Martino on Monday that he feels like he’s losing more than a colleague.
“I’m losing…a great baseball man and a great friend,” Boone said. “We complete each other’s sentences. I’m losing somebody who I completely trust. We have experienced a lot together and he has become like a brother to me.”
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Family dynamics aside, what does Boone think of Mendoza’s pedigree? Is Mendoza ready to assume the Mets managerial position and all of the scrutiny and accountability associated with a New York team that will, presumably, have a Top 5 payroll and Steve Cohen’s high expectations?
“He is the complete package, man,” Boone said in the interview. “He’s the real deal. He’s smart, tough, prepared, and works his butt off. He has grown in the job (as bench coach). He has managed in the minors. He has earned this opportunity. Smelling the winds over the last month, I thought he was going to get one of these jobs because people were seeing what I have seen.”
A potential gust in those winds could be that Martino asked Boone about a rumor that Mendoza is not hesitant to voice a difference of opinion to analytic-driven staffers who advocate strict data-driven decision making.
“(Carlos) is very strong, very confident,” Boone said. “But also very open-minded and in tune with everything in the game. He’s not afraid to debate. He has the ability to push back on anything, but he knows he doesn’t know everything.”
Boone’s colleagues offered similar analysis—happy for a colleague, disappointed for the organization.
“(Carlos) is a baseball lifer,” Kevin Reese, who runs player development for the Yankees, told Martino. “He is very knowledgeable about the game as the game has changed. He is not afraid to hold people accountable.”
“F—, (Mendoza is) a big loss,” said another Yankees staffer.
Boone agrees.
The post Aaron Boone Offers Exceptional Praise to Carlos Mendoza first appeared on Metsmerized Online.
