Firing a manager is the easy, if necessary, part. Now the question is: Who do the Mets get to fill the vacancy? It’s another test for Brodie Van Wagenen. He failed the “big trade” test but seemed to hit a home run in his first MLB draft. How he does here may go a long way in determining the club’s future.
Maybe the Mets put too much emphasis on how the potential new manager does in his interview. Mickey Callaway checked all of the boxes and Art Howe lit up the room and, geez, Terry Collins must have done something right in his interview.
Perhaps they need a guy to throw his championship ring on the table and then say nothing else. Maybe they need a guy who aggressively interviews them, rather than the other way around. Shoot, it could be the way to go is to pick the guy who seems to want the job the least.
However the Mets conduct the interview, they need to come up with the next Davey Johnson or Bobby Valentine. And they need to avoid coming up with a repeat of the five guys who’ve managed the club since they showed Valentine the door.
What type of manager should the Mets hire?
- Grizzled Vet - Baker, Girardi, Showalter (70%, 42 Votes)
- Some Previous Experience - Farrell, Porter, Ventura (17%, 10 Votes)
- New Blood - Beltran, Cone, Rojas (13%, 8 Votes)
Total Voters: 60
Loading ...
Winner. Someone that can manage in tough situations. Someone with NL chops or an inveterate scholar of baseball if only AL experience.
The statement coming from ownership and the FO about Callaway puts them square on the hot seat. Improving to 86 Ws was insufficient. This team believes it is a post-season squad (whether or not others see that, and few do outside Mets fandom), and so to meet that and the subsequent expectations, the only selection can be the anti-Mick. Although such a thing could be taken several ways, I mean it to be someone not on a learning curve, with experience extracting the best out of situations. If the team fails to hire such a person, and instead opts for a Beltran or Derosa type, then we know the words spoken yesterday were hollow no matter how impressive an interview went.
The next skipper will need some NL experience, but they must also be capable of defiance. There’s no room for a yes-man who let’s the GM manage. They also have to stand up against obstinate players, back downtrodden players and focus on the here and now. No problem, right?
Excellent point, Mike.
A true independent leader —not desperate for $ nor approval who can use baseball smarts without worrying he’ll get a chair thrown at him.
Perhaps the kind who’ll throw it back.
My concern is Broadie seeking to “make a splash”…
again.
When Jeff Wilpon calls me I will suggest that they rule out the “new blood” candidates. Outside of that, select the guy that fits the best and as Chris says has high baseball acumen. Regardless of who is selected, there will be second guessing. That’s baseball. But they need a manager that has enough of a track record that the second guessing won’t result in the perception that they can’t manage and game, or the reality that the manager costs the team numerous games. Essentially, hire a proven professional that has the best plan for their personnel and situation.
I wanted Girardi as soon as the Yankees fired him with Tony Pena as his bench coach, but now I’d like to at least take a quick look at the landscape. I like people that process quickly, and believe DeRosa and Beltran qualify. I also like people that are fundamental to old school baseball and don’t just wait on the three run homerun. Lastly, I don’t want to be anyone’s guinea pig anymore and wait for them to learn, and that will be a big consideration.
After being interviewed two years ago by Sandy Alderson, DeRosa on MLBN said how it was a learning experience since he had never interviewed before. Beltran and DeRosa may be good candidates for bench coach to gain training, but I wouldn’t hire either as the manager, just yet.
Also, in Puma’s article on Wednesday he stated that Wilpon made the call on Diaz’s usage, however, Jeff denies it and said that he was merely present at the meeting that was held after acquiring Diaz, but didn’t make that call. I believe him. Wilpon detests injured players, so I don’t see him babying Diaz. Instead, Wilpon cares only about writing checks. I see this as a BVW call to save his butt in case the bone spurs found in Diaz’s arm flare up. If BVW takes a conservative approach this winter and finds specific pieces to help next year, then he may become a good GM. If he just keeps acting like there is no tomorrow and wants to rip up the organization in order to try to win, he needs to go.
Think Hurdle too.
Jim, I like Hurdle I’m he’s very charismatic and loves his players. He would need a strong pitching coach, I feel.
TG: I hope the team keeps Regan and Davis anyway.
Analytics are here to stay but so is a strong NL experienced manager to keep these kids moving forward. The Mets have a good young core of players and will amply fill in after dispensing Frazier and Lagares. Love Dom Smith after his rebirth last year but there is not a position for him to play. Package him with Familia, with his team friendly contract, and pick up some established BP help. Please no experiments with wannabe managers. And we need one more fearful bat in the lineup in case Cespedes does not return. This year was a lot like 1984-1985 when things started to jell. Lots to be excited for in 2020.
1. It’s got to be a guy who will take charge with the front office. It cannot be a puppet or yes man, not with a bunch of over confident execs who think they know everything.
Davey Johnson had disagreements with frank cashen, bobby valentine had them with steve phillips. It’s okay.
Girardi is certainly somebody who stands up to the front office, which is a big plus.
2. It’s okay if he’s a rookie ml manager, but he should have some serious experience as a coach or minor league manager.
I think David cone would be in over his head.
Luis Rojas or edgardo Alfonzo might be very good choices.
I chose choice 3 because it listed Girardi. He has experience, can handle New York media, well spoken, has credibility , a ten year seasonal winning streak with playoff experience and he uses analytics. When I hear him broadcast the national games I find him to be thoughtful and on top of the game situations. Girardi is my primary choice because he has the ability to raise the Mets to the next level.