David RossDuring the World Series one of the announcers stated something to the effect that Chicago Cub catcher David Ross liked to shadow manage along with the real Cub manager, Joe Maddon. Then after the play he would see if his pretend decision was the same as Maddon’s real decision.

The next day I had a baseball epiphany. Ross is 39, and has said he plans to retire as an active player now that the season is over. In the past he has expressed interest in being a manager some day. Mets manager Terry Collins is in the last year of his contract, and he is the oldest active manager in the majors. Could the chips fall into place so that Ross occupies the managerial post after Collins retires?

Ross seems to fit the profile of a potential MLB manager. Ross has been a catcher for the whole 15 year span of his MLB career, mostly as a backup. I ran a count, and as of this writing 13 of the current MLB managers were primarily catchers during their playing career. In just the past 7 years, ex-catchers such as Joe Girardi, Bruce Bochy (3 times) Ned Yost and Maddon (minor league catcher) have been World Series winners. It is no coincidence that so many ex-catchers are managers. They are involved in aspects of the game from batting to infield defense to catching and calling for the pitch. But there are plenty of ex-catchers out there, why would Ross specifically be a good candidate to replace Collins down the line?

An informal poll of players and coaches conducted earlier this year by FanGraphs showed Ross was the leading candidate among then current players to be a future manager, and these are the type of people who should know. Ross relates well to younger players, so many of the young Cubs seem to really like him. He seems to have the leadership qualities that are going to inspire players to make an extra effort for him. He has played for and sometimes been mentored by numerous successful managers including Bobby Cox, Dusty Baker, John Farrell and of course Maddon.

The Mets are going to need a new manager soon, perhaps in a year. I think Ross has great potential to be a successful manager for years in the big leagues.

My plan for making this happen for the Mets would involve the management offering a minor league managing position to Ross in 2017. There is a current opening in the farm system at AAA Las Vegas, but Ross seems family oriented, and may want to stay closer to his home in Tallahassee, Florida. Google maps shows Columbia S.C. At 254 miles from Tallahassee and Port St. Lucie Fla. as 372 miles away, and both are home to Met affiliates. Both have managers, but one could be bumped up the line, maybe to fill the opening in Las Vegas.

But to my mind there is another, even more intriguing option, that is to have Ross manage the short season Brooklyn Cyclones. Since they don’t start until June, Ross could be available at spring training to work with the current catchers in the Mets system. Then after a brief break for some family time, he could start managing in Brooklyn. It would be easy for the front office to see first hand how he manages in the neighboring borough, and it would give Ross a chance to see if he really likes the job.

There will be plenty of opportunities for Ross elsewhere. The Cubs may want to keep him in their organization, and Atlanta could be a good fit down the road, being close to his home and boasting a new stadium next year to boot. But both have managers, and I think Maddon has at least a few more years in him. So if the chips fall into place just right, we could see Ross managing the Mets in 2018.

8 comments on “A possible successor for Terry Collins

  • Eric

    Don’t see them hiring a novice.

  • MattyMets

    Crash Davis would also make a great manager.

  • Jimmy P

    I think you are correct that Ross will get a shot managing in the MLB. There’s a long tradition of catchers succeeding in that role. Maybe it’s the nature of the position — they have the best view of the game.

    The trend seems to be getting away from forcing a candidate to work his way up through the system.

    I’d hire him as a bench coach right now.

    That said, a string manager is not what Sandy has ever prized. Ross does not seem like a fit. In addition, dealing w/ the NY media is a huge part of the job, and I don’t see Ross as an ideal fit for that situation right out of the box.

    Good thought, wrong team, I’m afraid.

    • John Fox

      good ponts, Jimmy, but I just think he would benefit more from actually managing a minor league team as opposed to major league bench coach. As to the New York media, I think he can handle it, he’s a competitive guy and I don’t think he would be overwhelmed.

  • TexasGusCC

    I’ve said this many times before, but I love Tony Pena. Sharp as a tack and bilingual. Can help the catchers, monitor pitchers and not much gets by him.

  • Eric

    There are plenty of competitive guys who don’t suffer dumb questions from sport writers. Terry had to learn the skill.

    • Jimmy P

      And there are guys like Bud Harrelson and Jeff Torborg who get eaten alive.

      It’s silly to pretend that anybody can do it.

      • Brian Joura

        Harrelson’s failure as a manager has to be one of the more disappointing ones. I mean, he had success here as a player and was groomed as a coach before he took over as the manager. If anyone should have been prepared for what was coming…

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