Steve Swindal Jr., the son of Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal, could be Hal Steinbrenner’s Yankees successor.
Since he was a teenager, Steve Swindal Jr., The Boss’ grandson, has been paying his dues throughout the Yankees organization. Joel Sherman of The New York Post, who interviewed the most likely heir apparent, reported.
Steve Swindal Jr. has been working his way through every department in the organization since a young age
For some, the fact that Hal Steinbrenner inherited the Yankees following his father’s death and will most likely pass them down to his 35-year-old nephew is simply nepotism. Swindal Jr., the team’s assistant director of player development, hopes others don’t see it that way.
“I know the connotation of nepotism,” Swindal Jr. said, via The New York Post. “I know what comes with that. I want to at least show to the people here that that’s not who I am. And I hope I’ve accomplished that.”
Sherman of The Post revealed that Swindal Jr. “has been working his way through every department in the organization” since a young age to learn the business. Swindal Jr. has worked his way up through the organization, from media relations to inputting scouting information on opponents to now being able to vote on organizational decisions.
He also realizes that his name gives him an advantage. He does not intend to pass up the chance to work for his grandfather’s team.
“I think I understood at an early age that I was obviously born into a family where I was going to have opportunities that other people might not have,” Swindal Jr. told The Post. “To hide from that, would be kind of silly. I feel like if you have the opportunity, you should seize it and make the best of what you can. To me that was learning as much as I possibly can from the bottom levels and, trying to work up and understanding how it operates. It was for me to understand how this entire thing operates.”