In a somewhat rare appearance with members of the media, chairman and managing general partner of Yankee Global Enterprises, the organization that owns the New York Yankees, Hal Steinbrenner revealed what he thinks the team must do better moving forward.

According to MLB.com Yankees insider Bryan Hoch, Steinbrenner said he, coaches and players all believe the Yankees must cut down on “mental mistakes – baserunning for sure, which is why we made a [coaching] change. That has been a thorn in our side most of the season this year.”

Steinbrenner pointed to an issue that many Yankees fans and baseball analysts have also noticed. The team has a hard time moving between bases and, as a result, over-relies on home runs to score and win games. This has led to some disappointing losses for the Pinstripes, who experienced a boom-or-bust period of struggles in 2025 where they oscillated from extremely high scoring games to non-scoring games.

These “mental problems,” as Steinbrenner put it, caused a massive slump for the Yankees in the middle of the season, causing them to lose an early grasp on the AL East. While August and September went better for a team that ultimately would fall short to the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 AL Divisional Series, there’s always the question of “what if.”

Is Aaron Boone the Problem?

However, some fans were quick to point out that baserunning has been an issue for the Yankees for several years, not just in 2025. There are mounting calls for the Yankees to fire manager Aaron Boone for failing to coach players around the mental struggles and, perhaps more importantly to fans, failing to produce another World Series Championship.

Boone, who has been managing the Pinstripes since 2018 and played for the team in 2003, seems to have a fairly secure job. He’s signed with New York through 2027 and team leadership, including Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman, have repeatedly affirmed their belief in the boss.

On the other hand, Boone frequently was the subject of criticism of his choices for the Yankees lineups and bullpen. Most vocally are critics of struggling shortstop Anthony Volpe, who had difficulties both hitting and fielding in 2025, and whom Boone defended vociferously throughout the season.

Hopefully, whether the question is on management or mentality, the Yankees return stronger than ever in 2026 and are ready to put their baserunning demons behind them.

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