The Wrong Man for the Job
Crisis struck the Mets last week as they became unwitting victims of the Astros’ cheating scandal. After all his due diligence, GM Brodie Van Wagenen was left with more questions than answers when commissioner Rob Manfred told him (via league investigation) that Carlos Beltran was, in fact, a member of the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing brigade. After three days of deliberation, the Mets brass begrudgingly instructed Beltran they would be mutually parting ways.
For a brief moment, I found myself missing Mickey Calloway. I would much rather a manager with a tenuous grasp on baseball’s general rules and procedures than one clever enough to install high definition cameras in their ballpark. Calloway could have never hatched up a scheme like this! Nevertheless, the Mets moved swiftly to hire Luis Rojas. A spring chicken, Rojas has NEVER managed a major league team.
Many of the pundits did not see it prudent to such an inexperienced option. Rather, they’d have preferred any of the of the unemployed, experienced skippers waiting for a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th chance to prove themselves. If I were hiring someone for a job, I would rather a candidate to have done the said job already regardless of their overall competency in such a role.
First of that lot, Joe Girardi was really the one that got away. He endured precisely 0 losing seasons with the talent-strapped, penny-pinching New York Yankees. Often held back by the short comings of his front office and roster, Joe squeezed the most out of his youthful teams.
Most notably, Girardi relied on homegrown prospects like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettite to reach the mountaintop in 2009. And that bullpen! Golly, did Girardi know what buttons to press with the limited options at his disposal year in and year out. Between Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, Dellin Betances, and Kirby Yates it’s a wonder the 2016 Yankees were able to get anybody out.
Sadly, Girardi was scooped up by the Phillies back in October. His proclivity to deal with big personalities will undoubtedly help him mesh with Bryce Harper, Jake Arrieta, and the rest of the fourth-place Phils.
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Despite the Mets publicized desire to keep this search brief, cries rang out from my car’s speakers for recognizable figures Dusty Baker and Buck Showalter to be considered. Joe from Brooklyn let me know that either’s experience would make them a far superior choice to Rojas.
Baker has a long track record of success in the big leagues, reaching the postseason in 9 out of 22 seasons, including one whole pennant. What I like most about Baker is his proven ability to learn from his mistakes. After yanking starter Russ Ortiz too soon, costing his Giants the 2002 World Series, he responded by increasing the workloads of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood the following season in Chicago during a playoff push. Both young studs proved to be capable of handling their sizable workloads and went on the have long, fruitful careers. What an adjustment by Baker!
After the Cubs, Dusty moved on to the Reds and then Nationals where he achieved playoff berths in last four seasons he managed, two with each team. Foolish were the Reds to cut him loose after reaching the NLDS in consecutive years only to watch him achieve the exact same feat in Washington.
Another tactician, Buck Showalter is also somehow unemployed. Buck sits on the cunning edge of modern baseball strategy and exhibited such prowess during the 2016 AL Wild Card Game. He kept vaunted closer Zach Britton ready and waiting in the bullpen during the 8th, 9th, and 10th innings. Like a predator stalking their prey, Showalter wanted to make absolutely certain Britton would be ready when his O’s inevitably took the lead in Toronto to slam the door shut.
He deployed known fireman Ubaldo Jimenez to start the 11th with Britton still waiting in the wings, loose as a goose. Back to back singles did not shake Buck, as he approached the mound for a conversation with Jimenez. Reassured, he sauntered back to the dugout without feeling the need to call for his closer. Shockingly, Edwin Encarnacion sent the first pitch he saw out for a three-run blast. Ball game. What poor luck for Buck. Crucified by the national media, Buck knew situational baseball should not dictate his tried and true managerial style. Closers close games: it’s simple. I applaud Buck for sticking to his guns despite every single shred of logic and reason that was piled up against him.
Instead of these wily gurus, the Mets are stuck with Rojas. Practically forced to learn this game on the fly, he has spent a short 13 years in the Mets system holding roles that offer no level of preparation for the big leagues. Doing the dirty work and managing at four different minor league levels will not equip someone with the knowledge and understanding of how to strategize in the majors. Neither will spending their offseasons, five to be exact, in the Dominican Republic managing in the Winter League. Not even winning a championship down there will show someone how to deal with different types of personalities or the strategy needed to win ball games. Certainly, being in the major league dugout for a whole season, wasting the team’s time with an increased focus on analytics as the ‘Quality Control Coach’ will do him no favors this season. What does that role even mean anyway? Whole thing sounds fugazzi.
This is a dark day in Mets history. Rather than a recognizable, established figure, we must forge ahead with a less qualified member of the organization who has spent more than a decade building relationships with nearly every player on the 40-man roster and helping to assist in their understanding of modern baseball and the way it is changing. The horror.
