All Things Great and Small
Monty was awarded the fifth starter’s job very early, something Boone’s predecessor never did. Joe Girardi valued competition in camp very highly and liked to announce his full rotation late in March.
Not Boone. But what does his announcement mean? Is he showing respect for Montgomery, as he did for Adams, and awarding the spot so early because Monty has earned it?
Or, does he value certainty over competition for his players? Maybe it is the recognition of having no other good candidates, so best to put as much faith in your only option? Aaron revealed himself in that decision, but it is unclear what we are seeing.
Juxtaposition
What we can all see, however, are some of the small differences from previous camps.
Boonie does not care nearly as much about his best relievers getting clean innings with which to work, for instance. His predecessor, Joe Girardi, made this one of his top priorities, yet the new man has already brought in David Robertson in the middle of an inning.
This might be an inconsequential difference, but it is a difference, nonetheless.
The same might be true of other minor decisions. Starting pitchers, for instance, were kept on the back fields deeper into spring this year, often making their debuts with their pitch counts up around 50.
I get the sense Boone, and the Yankees are not the only ones doing this; is there some strategic value to this approach? Perhaps letting them focus on control early on before facing competition?
And his aforementioned mistake must be included here, small as it was at the moment. But it reveals and stokes the biggest fear in hiring a neophyte, to wit, that his inexperience will affect the team. On that day, it certainly did.
Will these types of things happen in the regular season or post? Is this a one-time incident, or a preview of a Don Mattingly-level managerial learning curve? The hope, I am sure, is for the former.
But for now, the Yankees will have to wait for more actions by Aaron to find out. That was something they did not have to worry about with Girardi.
However, his first big telling decision will be evident very soon: The lineup.