When we talk about dynasties in baseball, we’re referring to teams that dominated over a certain period of time.
I want to talk about a different kind of dynasty, the way the term is used in other contexts. I’m talking about families where multiple members contribute to that family’s reputation and power.
The current managers of the Mets and Yankees, Luis Rojas and Aaron Boone, both come from powerful baseball dynasties.
But which talented clan has had a greater impact on the game? Let’s compare the achievements of the Alou/Rojas family with those of the Boone family to determine which is the superior baseball dynasty.
Strap in and get ready to rumble; it’s time for Searle Baseball’s first ever edition of Dynasty Duel!
Accounting for Accolades
The first step in deciding which dynasty reigns supreme is to tally each family’s awards and accolades. The Alou brothers –Felipe, Matty, and Jesús– all enjoyed lengthy careers as outfielders, each lasting at least 15 seasons in the big leagues. Two of the brothers (Felipe and Matty) made multiple All-Star teams, and Jesús won two World Series rings with the Oakland A’s. Twice, Felipe led the National League in hits.
Here’s what I love about the Alous though: everything they did was a family affair. Take Matty Alou’s 1966 batting title, for example. That year, Matty led the National League with a .342 average for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The player who finished second in the race? None other than his older brother Felipe, who hit .327 for the Atlanta Braves.
Talk about a sibling rivalry!
The Alou legacy would be carried on by Felipe’s son, Moises, who was a tremendous outfielder in his own right. Though he battled injuries for much of his career, Moises was a six-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger recipient. He was also a World Series champion, earning his sole title with the 1997 Marlins.
The collective achievements of the Alou family are staggering, but the Boones have also shaped the course of baseball history. The Boones are the first three-generation family in MLB, and all four Boone big leaguers made an All-Star team. Bret Boone’s four Gold Glove awards at second base are impressive, and yet they pale in comparison to the seven Gold Gloves that his father Bob earned as a catcher.
Also of note is the fact that Ray Boone, the first member of the Boone family to make the majors, tied for the American League lead with 116 RBIs in 1955.
ACCOLADES WINNER: Team Boone
As much as I respect what the Alou family achieved, the Boone family wins this round because all of them were All-Stars.
Next up:
Managerial Mastery
The success of the Alou and Boone families on the playing field translated to further success as managers.
Before he became a major league skipper, Felipe Alou managed the Caracas Leones to two Venezuelan titles and the Leones del Escogido to four Dominican Winter League titles. Then, in 1992, he became the first Dominican skipper in MLB history when he took over managerial duties for the Montreal Expos.
With Alou at the helm, the Expos finished the strike-shortened 1994 season with the majors’ best record at 74-40. The Expos roster was loaded with explosive talent, including Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker, and Alou’s son Moises. The team also featured Felipe Alou’s nephew, reliever Mel Rojas.
The ‘94 season proved that Felipe Alou, a veteran baseball man, could work wonders with a young roster. He later managed the San Francisco Giants for four seasons, including a 100-win campaign in 2003 (his son Moises was on the Giants for the final two years of Felipe’s tenure).
As for the managers in the Boone family, Bob Boone was the first to tackle the role. Bob earned a psychology degree at Stanford and was a revered catcher, so managing seemed like a logical next step. Unfortunately, Bob did not post a winning record in any of the six seasons he spent managing the Royals and Reds.
Bob’s son Aaron has already surpassed his father’s achievements in the dugout. Since replacing Joe Girardi as manager in 2018, Aaron Boone has led the Yankees to two consecutive postseason appearances. And in 2019, he became the first manager in major league history to win 100 or more games in each of his first two seasons on the job.
MANAGERS WINNER: Team Alou/Rojas
I loved Aaron Boone’s “savages in the box” rant from 2019, but I have to give the edge to the Alou family in this category. After all, Felipe Alou is the only member of either group to be named Manager of the Year. And Felipe’s son Luis Rojas, the current manager of the Mets, has yet to lose a game!
Sibling Team-ups
The final category that I will be judging is which family had the coolest sibling team-up.
Felipe Alou and his brothers made an indelible mark on history by forming an all-Alou outfield with the Giants in 1963. Contrary to popular belief, Felipe, Matty, and Jesús never started the same game. However, they did share the outfield three times that year when Jesus was a September call-up and Matty was a defensive replacement.
Like the Alous, the Boone brothers have joined forces on the field. Aaron and Bret were Reds teammates in the late ‘90s, and they made the All-Star team for their respective leagues in 2003.
Fun fact: Aaron and Bret Boone shared an infield with another set of brothers, Stephen Larkin and Barry Larkin, on the final day of the 1998 season.
Sibling Team-Up WINNER: Team Boone
The Boone brothers take this one because they spent more time on the field together than all three of the Alous did. Still, the all-Alou outfield is one of the best family team-ups MLB has ever seen.
Searle’s Final Say
Both the Alou and Boone families have been at the center of some of the most unforgettable moments in baseball history. In the fall of 2003, for example, Moises Alou and Aaron Boone wrote themselves into postseason lore in the same week. Alou was involved with the infamous Steve Bartman incident at Wrigley Field on October 14th, and two nights later Boone hit a game-winning home run to beat the Red Sox and clinch the pennant for the Yankees.
I have an enormous amount of respect for the Alous, especially because Felipe and his brothers paved the way for other Dominican players to become stars. And, as a Mets fan, I’m eager to see how Luis Rojas fares when he takes charge of the Mets this season.
Despite my admiration for the Alou/Rojas clan, I have to rule that the Boone family is the superior baseball dynasty. The reason for my ruling is simple: the Boones have a chance to become the first four-generation family of major leaguers. That’s because Jake Boone, Bret’s son, is currently an infielder for the Princeton Tigers. Once he graduates, Jake will look to follow in the footsteps of his father, uncle, grandfather, and great-grandfather by working his way to “the Show.”
Want to learn about another sports dynasty? Click here to discover the fascinating family history of Mets catcher Tomás Nido.
