New York Yankees: An out of the box candidate for manager already in-house?

Might the New York Yankees have that out of the box managerial candidate already in the organization?

The New York Yankees are in the midst of their first managerial search in a decade. Unless you have been out of touch for a while, you know that Joe Girardi is not returning to New York after managing the team for ten years. Whether it was mutual or not, it happened. The team that has been a model of stability since Joe Torre led the team is searching for a manager when they don’t appear to have a clear-cut candidate.

So what is Brian Cashman going to do? Yesterday, we looked at five potential candidates for the job. Some were obvious and ones we have heard about. Others were less clear. However, all five would be excellent choices and likely would do a fine job.

But what if, however, Cashman wanted to go a different route? What if he wanted to go outside the box? He could do it without even needing to look too far. He could bring in a guy from the championship days, who is quite analytical, and still works with the team. How? Look no further than the broadcast booth.

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The candidate’s name is David Cone.

John Harper of the NY Daily News likes the idea, here are some of his thoughts:

"If you listen to him doing Yankee games on YES, you know Cone was ahead of the curve on analytics, in terms of bringing it to the audience for years now, and he offers smart analysis about all phases of the game. No less significant, as a top starting pitcher Cone was a big part of the Yankees’ dynasty in the 1990s, a player that teammates considered a leader in the clubhouse, and someone who was great with the media."

Besides performing well in New York, Cone obviously has all of the requisite experience working with the New York media. In fact, he was actually pretty good at it and you can’t say that for all managers and coaches in this city.

Fact is that Harper is right about his broadcasting ability. He can bring smart analysis to all phases and he speaks in terms that everyone can understand. That would translate well as a manager as everyone on the roster would be able to relate. He has been in the trenches and can speak their language. This is a potentially tremendous combination.

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But how comfortable would Cashman be even talking to a guy like Cone? He has no experience on the bench at any level. Conventional wisdom would lead you to believe he would want someone who has coached at some level. However, going against the grain can yield big-time results. Does he have the guts to go that route?

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