The One Mistake Aaron Boone Can't Afford to Make Anymore

Aaron Boone left one of the New York Yankees best players on the bench in their 1-0 Red Sox win.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) looks out over the field before the start of a game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Yankees were able to walk away with a win against the Boston Red Sox, but did so by taking the game 1-0. While pitching ruled the day, winning by such a small margin is not something that they can count on on a game-by-game basis, and if there was one thing to pick at Aaron Boone for, it was not going to Luis Garcia Jr. at any point.

Not starting him in general seems like something of a mistake, too. Patrick Sandoval is a lefty, and Paul Goldschmidt was able to tag him for a home run — the game's only run — but in a postseason situation, a player with a .284/.317/.557 with a 135 wRC+ needs to be in it.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Patrick Sandoval (43) pitches against the New York Yankees during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If Boone was playing matchups, though, it made less sense when, later in the game, Goldschmidt went up to the plate to face the hard-throwing Tyrone Guerrero, a righty. That could have been a prime opportunity to get García in.

The only explanation for not putting García in is that lefties are hitting .200/.246/.262 against Guerrero, whereas righties are hitting .263/.300/.329. There are reverse splits at play, but it's a matter of what Boone believes in more. What Guerrero does against lefties, or his own guy, García, who is hitting .297/.328/.591 with a 147 wRC+ off of righties.

One of the best at putting a ball into the seats

All that said, while the Yankees are without Giancarlo Stanton, the one quality that García seems to share with their injured slugger is that he has the power to put a ball in the seats under any circumstance. García has an average exit velocity of 91.6 MPH, a 12.6% barrel rate, and a 46.2% hard hit rate. He's also tough to strike out, seeing as he has a 16.6% strikeout rate. Guerrero is known for overpowering stuff, and it's the type of matchup where he would have a hard time blowing one by Garcia.

Plus, if it's about defense, García has graded out as a plus defender since coming over to the Yankees. He now has 1 Outs Above Average on the year. Goldschmidt has been one of the better defensive first basemen in baseball, but García can hold his own.

New York Yankees first baseman Luis García Jr. (26) tags out Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) in the first inning at Yankee Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Yankees were able to get away with not going to García against the Red Sox. Things could be different in a playoff game. For the regular season, there are still a few weeks left to correct course in case things go sideways in a game — and even now the Yankees may not have that luxury if they're going to make an attempt at the division.

In October, one game in a short playoff series could swing an entire series. Playing their best players is important.