Yankees’ Fans Should Hold Their Heads High

New York fans stay hopeful for the 2018 season after this year’s successesAlex StewartThe Santa Clara November 2, 2017What a year it was for the New York Yankees. Starting out the season, no one thought they would do anything of value this year other than develop their draft picks. The “experts” could not be more wrong. The Yankees finished the season with 91 wins and 71 losses. This season was considered a major step forward for many prospects, including Luis Severino—who emerged as the ace everyone hoped he would be. There was also rookie Aaron Judge who broke many rookie records, such as passing Mark McGwire for most home runs by a rookie (50). The Yankees also clinched a playoff berth after missing the playoffs the previous year and won at least 90 games for the first time since 2012. Overall, it was a tremendous success of a season in terms of gaining playoff experience, developing stars and getting ready to win it all next season. The obvious downside to the ending of this season was the firing of manager Joe Girardi. Girardi was a very personable manager who put his heart and soul into this team. Unfortunately, that’s precisely what led to his downfall. Many of his critics said that he over-managed games and was too emotional when dealing with roster and bullpen changes. In the end, Brian Cashman, the General Manager, wanted someone who didn’t always wear his heart on his sleeve and who could take a step back and trust his players to a greater degree.The future Yankees manager will likely be someone in-house, with an extremely modern mentality. The articles and news outlets are suggesting Rob Thomson, the Yankees bench coach, or Jay Bell, the Yankees Single-A minor league manager will get the keys to the ferrari that is the Yankees 25- man MLB roster. I disagree. I believe Alex Rodriguez should be the next Yankee manager. He is incredibly close with the players and has an extremely modern mentality of the game—already checking Cashman’s major boxes. To round it out, Rodriguez is incredibly familiar with the organization and can serve as a good middleman between the players and the management. There are some ego concerns, especially concerning his maturity, but I believe A-Rod is the best man for the job. The Yankees are already loaded with enough young talent to get them to the World Series next year, but these are the key transactions that will bring the Commissioner’s Trophy back to the Bronx. Starting off, Manny Machado is a must have. An elite defender, Machado will round out the infield on both the offensive and defensive ends. Because his contract is running out, the Orioles would take him for a cheaper price. Even better, the Yankees’ big contracts are ending, so the second biggest payroll in baseball will be more than able to extend their current stars, as well as the new acquisitions. Eric Hosmer, the first baseman of the Kansas City Royals is the second must have for the Yankees. Sure, they have Greg Bird, but having both tailor-made swings for Yankee Stadium would be spectacular for the win column. The Yankees’ designated hitter position was one of the worst in baseball in terms of production, and the trade for Eric Hosmer would allow Bird to go into the DH role, and complete the best offensive lineup in baseball. After these transactions are made and a new manager is announced, the Yankees will be ready to win it all next year with more than enough payroll to keep this stellar young core together for years to come.Contact Alex Stewart astewart@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852