Oberkfell moves up to Mets’ bench coach

The new bench coach for the New York Mets will be Ken Oberkfell, a 16-year MLB veteran and 16-year minor league manager, the past 10 with the Mets. Oberkfell interviewed for the managerial position this year that ended up going to Terry Collins, but was a darkhorse candidate at best due to his lack of MLB managerial experience.

So, what is a bench coach, will Oberkfell make a good one for the Mets and does this enhance his future managerial chances?

A bench coach is a seemingly vital position with almost no defined responsibility. Don Zimmer, who was Joe Torre’s bench coach with the Yankees, said his job was to sit next to Torre and congratulate him when one of his moves worked out and to move to the other end of the bench when it didn’t.

Perhaps the most visible part of the job is making recommendations to the manager on in-game strategy. But the most vital part is picking up day-to-day responsibilities that at one point belonged to the manager but now must be farmed out to others. A bench coach has the chance in this role to both aid the manager and put his own stamp on the team.

“I like to think that a bench coach’s job is to make everything run more smoothly,” Ty Van Burkleo, who served as bench coach under Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu, told MLB.com last year. “I plan out the day, I make sure everybody’s where they need to be throughout the course of the workday, pre-game, and I’m there to make Don’s job easier in any way I can.”

Anyone who has been in Triple-A for the Mets the past six years has played under Oberkfell, who has also managed other current Mets at lower levels. Among others, he managed David Wright, Jose Reyes, Ike Davis, Josh Thole, Mike Pelfrey and Jonathon Niese. Oberkfell should arrive in New York with a comfort level with many of the players on the team.

With fewer coaches available in the minors, Oberkfell should be used to handling day-to-day chores in an organized matter. What he brings to the table strategically is more open for debate. Generally, Oberkfell’s teams were above average in drawing walks, he frequently ordered sacrifice hits and they avoided the stolen base. Here’s how Oberkfell’s Triple-A teams did in those categories, by rank within the league:

The Mets have been in the top five in the National League in sacrifice hits the past four years (and finished 6th five years ago) and if Oberkfell has anything to say they will likely be there again.

Finally, having the title of bench coach probably does more for Oberkfell’s future managerial hopes than anything he might contribute to the 2011 team. Joe Maddon, Ron Roenicke, Joe Girardi, Brad Mills and Terry Francona are among the current major league managers who worked as a bench coach before getting the lead spot in the dugout.

It’s also a place where former major league managers, including Willie Randolph, Tony Pena and John Gibbons, frequently wind up. A veteran bench coach makes sense for a young manager. On the flip side, a veteran manager like Collins should be able to get by with a less-experienced man in that role, making it a nice fit for Oberkfell.

So, while Oberkfell did not get the Mets managerial post, he got the next-best thing. Adding bench coach to his resume will go a lot further to enhance his future chances of becoming a big league manager than a seventh season at Triple-A.

Now, if only he could stop calling for the bunt so much.