Boone makes Yanks' goal clear: 'We want to win'

New York manager excited to prepare for unorthodox 2020 season

July 1st, 2020

NEW YORK -- At a time when almost everything seems to have changed, the message being relayed from the top of the Yankees organization has remained consistent. As manager Aaron Boone prepares for a season that will bear little resemblance to any that preceded it, his team’s stated mission is to deliver another World Series championship trophy to Yankee Stadium.

Summer Camp opened in The Bronx on Wednesday, as numerous members of the club’s 60-man player pool completed intake screenings in advance of Saturday’s first workout. Boone said that his address to the players may take place in three or four groups, due to social distancing measures, but his words will borrow heavily from a speech that was delivered in February.

“The reason we're here now doesn't change,” Boone said. “We’re a team with some unfinished business. I do feel like we're still a very hungry group, and we want to climb to the top of the mountain. And just because circumstances have changed, and certainly this season has changed, that goal doesn't change. We want to win. We want to be champions.”

With his roster still among the World Series contenders, Boone said that he plans to stress social responsibility to his players, especially under unprecedented circumstances. It will be crucial for the clubhouse to police itself, with players and coaches holding each other accountable at the stadium and away from the field.

“I do think one of the separators this year is going to be the teams that are able to find that energy, to find that focus, to find that edge on a daily basis in what's going to be unique and challenging circumstances,” Boone said. “I do feel like we have a group that's cut out for that.”

Boone and his coaching staff are continuing to work on the logistics of hosting camp at Yankee Stadium rather than George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., where the club planned to have seven diamonds and multiple training areas at its disposal, including the nearby player development complex on Himes Ave.

Instead, the Yankees must utilize all available space in The Bronx. The home, visiting and auxiliary clubhouses will be used by players, who will be scheduled to work out in multiple groups. General manager Brian Cashman has suggested that pitchers may use concourses and the 31,000-square-foot Great Hall for their flat-ground throwing.

“It's going to be a challenge. It's certainly unique,” Boone said. “But it's also that way for all 30 teams. I'm going to bet on our guys and their makeup and their preparation, and what I believe they've been able to do to this point.”

Because pitchers will be building to game action in three weeks rather than the usual six or seven, several clubs have expressed interest in beginning the year with a six-man rotation. Boone said that he didn’t consider that likely for the Yankees, who plan to lean heavily on Gerrit Cole, Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, J.A. Happ and Jordan Montgomery.

“We want to see where our guys are, see what they're able to withstand, see how safely they're able to build up -- then see what our roster and our personnel looks like when we start the season,” Boone said. “We’ll make those calls sometimes on the fly in a given week. It can be a fluid situation.”

Shortly after Spring Training was suspended in mid-March, Boone opted to drive to his home in Greenwich, Conn., where he periodically served as Cole’s throwing partner. Spending that time at home instead of bouncing between ballparks around the country offered an opportunity to “sit and watch the seasons change,” as Boone joked, and he expressed no hesitation in returning to the dugout.

“Going back to work and getting back into this, I don't have a fear of it or any trepidation,” Boone said. “I'm excited to get back at it and will do all I can for our players and everyone in the organization to do this as smartly and as safely as possible.”