Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Most Lugubrious Managerial Search in Mets History Presses Onward

From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET




I would have been very copacetic with Joe Girardi.  He was second on my list of managerial candidates.  Be that as it may he is now skipper of the Mets nearest rival, and the Philadelphia Phillies will be better for it.  Of that I'm sure.

THE ROJAS CHRONICLES: CASE CLOSED

Luis Rojas, ponderously not one of the finalists, is/was third on my list.  He would have earned the position the old fashioned way: by dutifully paying his dues.  His resume is classic, having served the last twelve seasons in the Mets minor league system as both a coach and manager.
  • 2007 - coach; Dominican Summer League
  • 2008 - coach; GCL Mets
  • 2009 - coach; Savannah Sand Gnats
Still only 38-years old, I'm unsure if Luis Rojas classifies as a really young Gen-X'er, or a really old Millennial.  In any event, Rojas receives his first managerial assignment in 2011 with the GCL Mets.  In 2012 he takes over the reigns at Savannah where in 2013 the Sand Gnats win the South Atlantic League championship.  In 2015 Rojas is promoted to manage at Port St. Lucie.  In 2016 he leads PSL to their first playoff appearance in three years.  Rojas in 2017 is again promoted to manage Binghamton where the Rumble Ponies post a 149-130 record during their two seasons under Rojas.  Entering the 2019 season Luis Rojas is named the Flushing Mets quality control coach by incoming general manager Brodie Van Wagenen.

If you're a regular rider of the Trolley, then you know I follow winter league baseball.  I do not think; rather I know there is valuable experience to be gained in the Caribbean, be it as a player; coach; manager; even an executive.  The most recent and notable example of someone parlaying his winter league experience is present Red Sox manager Alex Cora.  After retiring as a player, for a few years he initially manages then serves as general manager of the Criollos de Caguas in Puerto Rico's LBPRC.  Los Criollos win Puerto Rico's 2016-2017 championship.  As general manager Alex Cora then leads an enhanced Criollos team (representative of Puerto Rico) to the 2017 Caribbean Series championship.  As general manager he assembles Team Puerto Rico whom face Team USA in the championship game of the most recent World Baseball Classic.  Very shortly thereafter in April Cora begins his stint as bench coach for A.J. Hinch and the soon to be World Champion Astros.  The following October Cora manages the Boston Red Sox to victory in the 2018 World Series.  Point being, Luis Rojas has captured two Dominican LIDOM championships in 2015 and 2016 as manager of Los Leones de Escogido.  If nothing else it helps punctuate a well rounded resume that should serve him well in future years.

THE FINAL FOUR

The Mets continue marking time is what has become the most lugubrious managerial search in the history of baseball.  Latest reports list the four finalists as Carlos Beltran, Derek Shelton, Tim Bogar, and Eduardo Perez.  The 22nd manager in Mets history will then be named 2:30am (EST) on a random Sunday morning still to be determined.  Don't call them.  They'll call us.

Sam, Rich, and I, were joined on our most recent Metsian Podcast by Gotham Baseball's Mark C. Healey, and we all agreed albeit for varying reasons and with differing levels of trepidation that Carlos Beltran is sure to be named next manager of the Mets.  My reasoning is simply because the Mets continue doing the exact opposite of I want.  For reasons I'll get into shortly, I'm just not interested in Carlos Beltran managing the Mets.

Derek Shelton is a veritable unknown to me.  That alone is enough to dissuade me from hiring him.  Sure, he's been around the block where it concerns MLB level experience.  I can not deny him that.  However distinguishing oneself is another matter.  Being bench coach of the Twins does not a resume make.  Neither does working along side Eric Wedge which is as pedestrian as it gets.  Perhaps you consider him a branch off the Joe Maddon tree considering their time together at Tampa?  The better question is are you a fan of Joe Maddon?  Me .. not so much.  I find Tampa's success far more attributable to Chaim Bloom's oversight than anything else.

Tim Bogar owns ten years of MLB coaching experience.  However, his decade long impact is no more distinguishable than that of Shelton's.  Am I being made to believe by Mets brass that Bogar and Shelton can potentially be better field managers than Girardi ever was?  Not likely.

And then there's Eduardo Perez, the son of Hall of Famer Tony Perez, slugging first baseman for the Big Red Machine.  I grew up watching Tony.  I recall the Reds trouncing the Yankees in the 1976 World Series like it was yesterday.  There's something to be said for being born of baseball blood.  Eduardo also has requisite MLB coaching experience, and likewise managed successfully in Puerto Rico's professional league.  There's no doubt he is media savvy.  He's one man that will not soon get caught short for words.  In fact, I find him the most intriguing of the lot.  But just because I'm intrigued doesn't mean he's right for the job.

Meanwhile, the bombshell candidate is yet to materialize ... as if.

LOOK WHO'S NUMBER ONE!

In case you're wondering my number one consideration is out.  In fact, he was never in.  I want Buck Showalter.  This guy checks all my boxes.  There is no questioning his acumen; he commands respect; and is quite adept at negotiating the New York media.  On that note, the Mets would have received little if any criticism had they elected to go that route.  To my dismay he hasn't received so much as a sniff from Brodie Van Wagenen.  Another time, under different circumstances, I would be more open towards hiring a second straight novice ... just not now.  In their present condition the Mets need nothing short of a swift kick in the Showalter.

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROPOSITION

Game seven of the 2019 World Series is now a matter of history.  Why does it seem the longer the Mets managerial search drags on, the more we're being led to believe Brodie Van Wagenen is actually targeting A.J. Hinch?

METS FANS, WE HAVE A PROBLEM

Fred Wilpon is still part of the hiring process.



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