Carlos Beltran — Not the Next Yankee Manager
Carlos Beltran just closed the curtain yesterday on his 20-year major league career, capping it all with a World Series title with the Houston Astros. Beltran, 40, has been rumored to become the next manager of the New York Yankees. General Manager Brian Cashman has not ruled out the possibility of hiring Beltran noting that the previous two managers for the organization went straight from playing into managing (Joe Torre and Joe Girardi).
Beltran should stay away from baseball for a year. Twenty years in the grind of 162 games takes a lot out of a guy, even if you absolutely love baseball. Beltran played in 2,586 with seven different teams, including three seasons with the Yankees. With over 400 homeruns, 1,500 RBIs, and 300 stolen bases, Carlos Beltran has been a great player.
The Yankees would be foolish to take a swing on a guy who just retired. Stay away from hiring Beltran. Their bench coach Rob Thomson would be an obvious choice. If that is not the direction the team wants to go, then they should take a look at a manger who connects with the modern day player who has front office experience. Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers spent a years coaching. He was a special assistant, then a first base coach and then was a bench coach before being hired as a manager. It took Roberts six years to become a manager and we consider him to be one of the better managers in baseball.
Carlos Beltran should take a similar route as Roberts or even new Philadelphia Phillies Manager, Gabe Kapler who spent seasons in front offices before taking on the hot seat. Take a few years off of the 162 grind and get into a mindset of how to take a new approach to the game, the managerial mindset. He needs to learn how to use the vast amount of information available to him (aka sabermetrics) and combine that with his 20-years of playing experience to make sound decisions during a game.
Beltran, give yourself a break and enjoy a mini-retirement. Do not rush into becoming a manager but if you want to start a new baseball career, start in a front office where you can start learning from a different perspective.
