There were two overriding reasons why the Mets brought in Glenn Sherlock in the offseason.  First and foremost, he was brought in because Tim Teufel has never been a great third base coach, and as we saw him send Wilmer Flores to the plate last season, he wasn’t getting any better.  The second reason is the Mets wanted to have a new catching guru to replace Bob Geren to work with Travis d’Arnaud.

Now, if the Mets really want Sherlock to work with d’Arnaud, why is he the third base coach instead of serving as the bench coach like Geren?

Now, a bench coach has real responsibilities in the modern game.  It is no longer the position Don Zimmer once described as, “People say, What is the job of a bench coach? I say, Very simple–I sit next to [Joe Torre] on the bench. When he plays hit-and-run that works, I say, ‘Nice goin’, Skipper,’ and if it doesn’t work, I go down to the other end of the bench, get a drink, and get out of his way. We only got one manager. I don’t want no credit for doin’ anything. I sit next to Joe like a bump on a log–that’s the way I leave it.”  (Scott Raab, Esquire).

Rather, the bench coach has become more than that.  He shares many responsibilities pre-game, post-game, and during the game.  As Indians GM Chris Antonetti said about Bench Coach Brad Mills, “He’s ’s [Terry Francona‘s] right-hand man, and he really helps executed a lot of the planning, the logistics of when we’re going to work out, practices, all the communication within a game to get players ready.”  (Evan Drellich, Boston Herald).

The bench coach has a number of responsibilities that keeps him as engaged in the game as the manager.  He needs to be that because he needs to be a check on the manager to make sure the manager takes everything into account whenever he is making a move or not making a move.  Part of that responsibility is looking at the catcher and seeing what he’s doing.  Is he calling a good game?  Is he setting up properly or staying in his crouch long enough?  Is he paying enough attention to the running game?  The list goes on and on.

That is something that Geren was able to do during his tenure as the bench coach.  If there was an issue with how any one of his catchers were playing, he had the opportunity to speak with them and point out what adjustments needed to be made.  When the Mets brought Sherlock aboard, it is presumably one of the things they wanted him to do with d’Arnaud.

Except, he can’t.

With Sherlock being the third base coach, he really can’t have that discussion with d’Arnaud.  When d’Arnaud is sitting in the dugout while the Mets are on offense, Sherlock is at third base.  When d’Arnaud is running out to his position, Sherlock is coming off the field.  There are really limited times for the two to discuss the in-game adjustments d’Arnaud needs to make.

Now, these issues could be addressed post-game and in-between games.  However, if there is something that really needs to be addressed, you’re not permitting Sherlock to do it.  It may not seem like a huge issue, but something as simple as d’Arnaud not getting set up in the right position, can cost the pitcher the corner.  With the wrong pitch sequencing, d’Arnaud may not be putting his pitchers in the best position to succeed.  If there is something d’Arnaud is doing wrong when trying to get the ball out on a stolen base attempt, you can’t fix the issue leaving the opposition to take advantage of it all game long.

Now, other coaches can address it, but they can’t do it in the way Sherlock can.  Sherlock is the catching coach who was brought it to communicate with his catchers, d’Arnaud specifically.  While it may not seem like the biggest issue there is, not having Sherlock on the bench is the Mets giving an inch.  With baseball being a game of inches, it does not seem like the best allocation of resources.

The obvious retort is Sherlock may not belong on the bench because of his limited managing experience.  That ignores his having been a bench coach with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Dick Scott being named as the bench coach heading into the 2016 season.  Scott last managed a team in 1997 when he was the manager of the Single-A South Bend Silver Hawks.  Certainly, significant managerial experience isn’t something the Mets are prioritizing their bench coaches.

At this point, it is tough to judge what they are prioritizing because it isn’t experience.  More to the point, they’re not prioritizing getting the most from their roster.  If they were Sherlock would have been named the bench coach.