Aaron Boone's Comment on Future Yankees' Hall of Famers Sparks Discussion

New York manager Aaron Boone sparked debate with his comment about how many current Yankees will likely be Hall of Famers.

Aug 12, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) warms up during batting practice before a game against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees' August 24 home game against the Colorado Rockies marks the 76th Old-Timers’ Day in Yankees team history.

New York's 2009 MLB World Series-winning team will be honored on Saturday. Among the Yankees' legends expected to attend are Hall of Famers Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, along with Bronx icons Alex Rodriguez and 2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui.

In addition, CC Sabathia, Nick Swisher, Johnny Damon, and A.J. Burnett — all of whom were key pieces to that 2009 World Series team — will also be attending.

Honoring the 2009 World Series Championship Team 🏆#OldTimersDay | #RepBX pic.twitter.com/Z4tsCkiEHM

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 24, 2024

While current Yankees manager Aaron Boone is partaking in the Old-Timers' Day festivities, he also has a game to focus on. However, that didn't keep him from answering a question by YES Network's Jack Curry about how many Hall of Famers he believes are on his current team's roster.

“Four have a real shot," Boone responded, per Max Goodman. "And then let’s see if anyone else carves out a career that will be worthy or in consideration.”

Aaron Boone was asked how many Hall of Famers are on this current #Yankees team.

“Four have a real shot. And then let’s see if anyone else carves out a career that will be worthy or in consideration.”

Do you agree?

— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) August 24, 2024

Boone didn't specify which four current Yankees players he was alluding to. But theconsensus on social media is that he was referencing Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Gerrit Cole, and Giancarlo Stanton.

Given what Judge and Cole have both already accomplished in their respective careers, they could potentially be Hall of Famers right now if they retired today. And since both of them are in their primes and appear to have a lot of good baseball still ahead of them, they each seem like layups to eventually get immortalized in Cooperstown.

Juan Soto is on a similar track as those two teammates. Yet, given that he's still just 25 years old, Soto still has more to add to his resumé if he's to eventually earn a Hall of Fame bid. But barring a catastrophic injury or significant decline in performance, Soto has certainly looked like an MLB Hall of Famer to this point in his career.

That leaves Giancarlo Stanton, whose Hall of Fame case is made apparent with one stat.

Stanton currently has 424 career home runs. Assuming he stays healthy enough to play for at least a few more seasons, the 34-year-old appears likely to reach the 500-home run mark.

There are only two players in MLB history who have 500 or more home runs and didn't make the Hall of Fame: Barry Bonds (762 career home runs) and Alex Rodriguez (696 career home runs).

And both of them haven't made the Cooperstown cut because of their connection to taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Stanton has never been connected to any banned substances. So if he does reach that 500 home run mark, the Hall of Fame likely awaits.

What's for certain is that all four of these Yankees' respective Hall of Fame cases would be bolstered by World Series rings.