Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
Shoducky asks: I know everyone on this chat is gonna say they’ll never fire Boone. But if they fail in their chase for 28 again this year it will be nine years of “it’s right there in front of us” and one pennant. So my question is who is a viable replacement? Girardi? Jeter? The ghost of Jake Gibbs? Any ideas?
It is, of course, good to mention outright that the most likely outcome is that the Yankees ride the ship out with Boone, especially given that they extended him in February through the end of 2027. Right now, the frustration is understandable, as the team dropped six games in a row before salvaging the series finale against the Angels, and they looked downright pathetic in most of those losses. Playing the game of who could step in for Boone feels like a waste of time when it just isn’t going to happen, but while he’s the lightning rod for fan complaints when anything goes wrong, this stretch does feel emblematic of the few ways that the Yankee manager actually impacts the team.
Boone’s job first and foremost is to keep the locker room together and fighting, but he is also responsible for the fundamentals that the team displays on the field. Those fundamentals were shown to be a major liability in last year’s World Series, with Dodger players openly bragging after the fact about how easy their flaws on defense and the basepaths were to exploit. The team made changes over the offseason, but the core problems still seem to be around, and flared up in the Red Sox and Angels series — running into outs, fumbling easy outs at crucial moments, etc. When does that change? We’re staring down potentially the fourth straight summer where the team stumbles, the third of the four to have it happen after a strong start put them in position to lead the hunt for October. If the Yankees are serious about getting revenge for their failure last fall, they need to address the lapses in attention to detail that they go through so commonly — and avoid an outright swoon.
Darth_Lazarus asks: What’s the deal with Winans? Quad-A playing over his head or are they keeping him there for emergency starter depth? With those numbers he could definitely help the bullpen.
Winans was a huge find out of obscurity for the organization this year, claiming him off of waivers from the Braves in January. Winans made his MLB debut in 2023, pitching in six starts but working to an unimpressive 5.29 ERA over 32.1 innings. His cup of coffee in the majors last year was even shorter and less effective — he pitched in just two games (both starts), giving up 13 earned runs in 7.2 innings. Not ideal, but he was very solid both years in Triple-A, pitching to a 2.85 and 3.30 ERA in those seasons.
Cut to this season, and he’s found a new level. Winans is dominating, going 7-0 with a 0.90 ERA in 11 games (nine starts). That’s a grand total of five earned runs in 50 innings, with a single home run allowed on his record. Wow. That’s good enough to earn a callup in nearly any rotation, but the Yankees have three trusted arms already in Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, and Clarke Schmidt, with their top pitching prospect Will Warren also earning his way into a locked-in spot. The fifth starter spot was up for grabs when Carlos Carrasco’s spring revival flopped as soon as the regular season rolled around, but Ryan Yarbrough beat Winans to the punch and earned himself multiple stays through the rotation by providing solid outings while still getting stretched out.
Winans stayed in Triple-A and continued to slice through lineups, and now as Yarbrough has begun to struggle the Yankees are approaching another crossroads. Winans has clearly done enough to earn a look, but he’s remained in the emergency glass case and now another veteran in Marcus Stroman is nearing his return. It’s unclear if Stroman is going to return to the rotation or enter the bullpen when he’s ready, but that’s one more body in front of Winans’ path to pinstripes. I think he’s more than a Quad-A arm, but that may be leading to him being a minor trade chip before he gets a chance to pitch in the Bronx with clear needs elsewhere on the MLB roster and the deadline approaching. If the need arises though, Winans should be the first man up to prove his worth.
