Telling a young player he has made the Opening Day roster is one of the more rewarding parts of the job for Aaron Boone.
TAMPA — At some point over the next few days, Aaron Boone will call a player into his office or pull him aside and inform him that he is making the Opening Day roster for the first time in his big league career.It may happen for a reliever or two such as Greg Weissert or Matt Krook.
But late in the spring, amid a team-wide hitting slump, Boone hit three home runs off closers, including a grand slam off Randy Myers and a ninth-inning blast off Dennis Eckersley. It was enough to have Boone break camp with the Reds for his first Opening Day, even if he got sent back to the minors a few weeks later.
“I was like, ‘I wish you would have told me in Sarasota,’” said Cortes, referencing the team’s spring home. “Just walked out of the office and called my parents. It was a good moment.” Last year, Boone gave Marinaccio the news on the final day of camp, taking him into the manager’s office and telling him he was coming to New York.
“There’ll definitely be mental hurdles that have already popped up or will pop up. But try your best to take it a day at a time.” Since then, Effross has picked the brains of many former TJ patients, including former teammates Chad Green , Jameson Taillon and Justin Steele and current teammates such as Clay Holmes.
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