New York Yankees: Another catcher to manage in the Bronx?

Here is an interesting candidate for the New York Yankees managerial position.

Who is going to be the New York Yankees manager? That is the question on the lips of fans, experts and everyone else. Joe Girardi is gone, maybe it was mutual and maybe it wasn’t. After coming within one win of the World Series many fans were surprised at Girardi’s ouster, but it happened. So who is it going to be?

We have started this debate here at Empire Writes Back. The candidate names have been coming fast and furious. That will continue until Brian Cashman makes his decision. On Friday, another candidate had his name dropped, including a scout who believes this person would be the right choice.

You can tell by the picture that we are talking about former Tigers manager Brad Ausmus. Take a look at what a long-time scout had to say. He knows the team well but requested to remain anonymous (via NJ.com):

"“He could be a real good one for them,” the scout said. “He’s a smart guy plus he’s a no-nonsense guy. He’ll rip you when you need to be ripped, but he’ll also pat you on the butt when you’re doing good. He’s got his players’ backs.”"

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That is high praise. Could this be the move that Cashman makes? Let’s look at Ausmus for a minute.

His only managerial experience comes from his time in Detroit. 2014 was his first season and he went to the playoffs after winning 90 games. He only finished over .500 one more time (2016) during his four-year tenure, giving him a record of 314-332 in Detroit.

The same scout posed an opinion as to why Detroit fell apart:

"“The thing about it was the Tigers got old real quick,” the scout said. “They were getting old and breaking down, and their minor-league system is horses–.”"

Hiring Ausmus would be continuing the recent Yankee tradition of hiring ex-catchers. Joe Girardi was a catcher, you all know that. Don’t forget about the guy before that. Yes, that Torre guy. For our younger readers who didn’t see Joe Torre play, Torre was a catcher as well. So for the last 22 years the Yankees have sported a former catcher as the manager.

Brad Ausmus spent 18 years behind the plate for the Astros, the Tigers as well as other teams. He wasn’t an offensive juggernaut by any means, with a .251 career batting average. However, he did throw out 35% of the base stealers who tried to run on him. Catchers often make talented managers because they are watching the whole game the entire time. In addition to working with pitchers, they are the on-field leader for the defense. They get a deeper understanding for the game and are typically able to bring that success to the bench.

Joe Girardi and Joe Torre are examples of it working pretty well.

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The biggest question would be whether or not he can handle New York. As we all know it’s not for the faint of heart. He has no experience in New York other than being drafted by the Yankees in 1987. After the unexpected success of the team in 2017, he will be expected to win right away. Ausmus makes an excellent candidate if he can handle New York.

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