The New York Yankees have been, despite a recent skid, one of the best teams in baseball this season.
Their 72-43 record is the second-best in the American League, behind the Houston Astros, and even though the Yanks have lost eight of their last 10 and have really struggled since the All-Star break, their season as a whole has been highly successful in a competitive AL East.
Manager Aaron Boone keeps accumulating regular season wins, which proves he is a truly good manager.
He just got his 400th victory over the weekend, against the Boston Red Sox, no less.
Last night was a big one for our Skipper 👊
Congrats @AaronBoone! pic.twitter.com/x3x7fojVyb
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 14, 2022
At .632, his current winning percentage in 2022 is only slightly worse than his best mark, achieved in 2019 (.636).
Boone has a 400-260 record as the Yankees skipper in four-plus seasons.
The Postseason Will Define Boone’s Career
However, his biggest challenge will be winning in the postseason.
In October, the Yankees are 11-11 under Boone: they have been extremely competitive most times, but haven’t been able to take the next step.
Boone hasn’t made it to the World Series as a manager: the American League Championship Series is the furthest he has ever gotten in the postseason.
He will try to change that in 2022, and he has a really talented team – albeit with a few flaws, particularly at shortstop and regarding their pitching depth.
If the season ended today, the Yankees would have a first-round bye while the Wild Card series are played.
After that, it will be showtime for Boone and his squad.
The organization hasn’t won a World Series title since 2009, and the fanbase is getting impatient.
The postseason is what shapes a manager’s career: so far, Boone has been very good.
Let’s see if he can take the next step to enter the tier of the truly great managers.