On the Moose & Maggie Show Friday, Yankees GM Brian Cashman wouldn’t say whether or not Gary Sanchez was told that he was being benched – and now we know exactly why.
It wasn’t just Cashman-speak, because later in the day, manager Aaron Boone joined Carton & Roberts and revealed that he never actually made a decision to bench Sanchez in the playoffs.
“I know that headline got a lot of press, but in reality, I never made a decision to bench him. It was a daily decision I was making,” Boone revealed to Craig & Evan. “What gets lost in this is how well Kyle Higashioka was playing for us at the end of the season. He’s always been an outstanding defensive catcher, but he was hitting the ball, and hitting with power, at the end, and putting himself in the conversation during what was an up-and-down year for Gary. I was kind of making the decision almost every day – it was the same with Gardy and Frazier, based on what I was seeing and the matchup – and if we beat the Rays in Game 5, Gary’s probably starting Game 1 of the ALCS.”
And so, there’s no communication problem at all.
“I don’t think we have a communication problem, honestly. I try and get out ahead of things and let guys know where I stand or what I’m thinking,” Boone said. “Gary and I are in a good place, and had a long conversation right after our season ended, and have had several since.”
One of those conversations? Sanchez telling the Yankees he was going to play Winter Ball in the Dominican Republic.
“He drove that conversation, because I think he just wanted to get some more at-bats,” Boone said. “He went to Tampa right after our season and worked with Marcus (Thames, the Yankees’ hitting coach) a bit to tinker with some mechanical things. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does this year.”
Sanchez played 15 games alongside Domingo German on Toros del Este, and hit .245 (15-for-53) with two home runs, 10 RBI, and six walks, numbers that don’t pop on paper but are much better overall than what he put up in the 2020 season.
“The one thing I would always say is that even for guys with great talent, hitting is very difficult and can be fickle. Last year was such a unique season that you saw some uneven performances across the league, so I bet a lot of players have bounce-back years in 2021,” Boone said. “Gary got off to a really tough start, and in a 60-game season, you’re trying to make corrections, and it can be a little physical and a little mental as you try to make up ground and it becomes a struggle. At the end of the year, even though he wasn’t getting great results, he was a lot closer to the guy we’ve seen.”
And, the guy the Yankees expect to see in 2021 and beyond.
“Sometimes in this game, you’re gonna get punched in the mouth and knocked down a bit,” Boone said. “If you can learn from those times, it helps shape you as a better player moving forward. By our actions here, committing to him, we believe we’re going to get that All-Star catcher out of him, and it’s on us to continue to try to pull that out. He’s in a good place.”
Listen to Boone's entire segment with Carton & Roberts below!
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