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By Ben Watanabe
Contributing Sports Writer
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If you want to be technically correct -- which, as everyone knows, is the best kind of correct -- then Jorge Posada has experience directing a dugout filled with professional baseball players.
The former New York Yankees catcher coached for Team Italy in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and the results over a short format reflected well on his work as an assistant hitting coach. Italy surprised as an offensive force in pool play before falling in the semifinals.
On the heels of that experience, has Posada pondered a more permanent dugout role? He revealed in a recent interview that he has -- although he admitted there would be a learning curve.
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As part of the Yankees' annual Old Timer's Day, Posada and former teammate Nick Swisher were asked if they would be open to managing. Swisher sounded all-in on the idea and spoke at length about his familiarity with advanced statistics in the modern game.
Posada was more equivocal.
"Baseball right now has changed so much from what I was taught, and what was completely in my head," Posada said, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
If offered a managing position, Posada told Hoch, "I don't know if I could say yes. ... It's got to be the right situation. It's a lot -- I'm not saying never, but it's hard. It's really hard."
Give Posada credit for understanding the huge difference between working with players in an exhibition setting over a few weeks versus leading a variety of personalities and talents over 162 games. He even seems to understand that much of his catching experience would be considered outdated in today's game, so he doesn't even have that expertise to fall back on.
Sometimes the most valuable quality is to know what you don't know. It sounds like Posada is realistic about his prospects and his shortcomings, so there's always a place in the game for someone with that type of open mind.
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