Posted on November 28, 2017, by Bryan Zarpentine
Image via m.mlb.com
As we inch closer to December, the New York Yankees still don’t have a new manager. In fact, they may not even be that close, as they continue to interview candidates. To be fair, there’s no rush, seeing as how they’re the only team still looking for a new manager. But with the Winter Meetings right around the corner, it may be helpful for them to have someone in place sooner rather than later. Right now, we know of at least five candidates who have been interviewed. However, the Yankees don’t appear to be finished interviewing candidates. With that in mind, here are each candidate’s odds of being the next Yankees manager.
Table of Contents
Carlos Beltran – 20%
Recent reports indicate that Beltran will interview for the job just a couple weeks after announcing his retirement. Beltran is familiar with Brian Cashman and the organization, as well as many of the team’s current players. He’s often spoken of his desire to be a manager, and so he needs to be taken seriously as a candidate. He would be a risky choice, but the Yankees may decide they know him well enough to take that risk.
Aaron Boone – 20%
Some close to the Yankees believe that Boone is one of the favorites among the five who have interviewed. He’s lacking in coaching experience, which could end up hurting him. However, he’s a former Yankee and has stayed close to the game by working as an analyst for ESPN. It’s not that far-fetched that the Yankees would take a chance on him.
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Hensley Meulens – 15%
Meulens is definitely an intriguing option. He has been coaching baseball in some form for nearly 15 years and had a hand in winning three World Series titles as a member of the San Francisco Giants coaching staff. He also came up with the Yankees as a player, which can’t hurt his chances. Perhaps most impressively, Meulens speaks five languages, including Japanese. Clearly, he has great communication skills, which is an attribute all managers need to have. He’s definitely someone to watch.
Rob Thomson – 5%
The fact that Thomson wasn’t hired quickly to replace Joe Girardi hurts his chances. After all, he’s been on the team’s coaching staff since 2008. Considering the success they had this season reaching the ALCS, hiring Thomson would have been a great continuity choice. It’s still possible that happens. However, he has reportedly interviewed to join the Phillies coaching staff, indicating he doesn’t believe the Yankees will pick him.
Eric Wedge – 15%
Wedge is the only candidate the Yankees have interviewed who has experience as a major league manager. If the Yankees value experience, he’s clearly their best option. It’s probably the thing that’s keeping him in the running. But outside of his prior experience, it’s tough to see why the Yankees find him that appealing.
Chris Woodward – 10%
Woodward is the most surprising name on this list. He has no prior connection to the Yankees outside of spending spring training in 2008 with them before being released. Also, Woodward has only been a major league coach the last four seasons and he’s never even been a bench coach. However, as a longtime utility man in the majors, he has experienced the game from a lot of different perspectives as a player. There’s no doubt that Woodward has a sharp baseball mind, so perhaps he’s ready to be a manager.
Field – 15%
Once Beltran interviews, the Yankees will have spoken to six candidates. But there’s no indication that they’ll be done after that, so it’s possible someone comes out of nowhere to take the job. If the Yankees were blown away by any of the first five candidates they interviewed, they may have made a decision by now. That leaves the door open for someone not on our list to end up with the job.