Musings
Anytime you enter into a search for a new manager, you are really dealing with the realm of the unknown. For first time managers, you really have no idea if that person is truly ready for the big leagues, he is better suited to the minors, or is a better coach. For every Davey Johnson you hire, there are also the Joe Torres of the world, who were talented managers, but not ready to manage at the time you gave him the job.
Really, in these instances, you have to look at the relevant information available and the recommendations of other baseball people. Mostly, you’re going with your gut.
The Mets gut told them to go out there and hire Mickey Callaway.
The Mets only needed one interview to choose Callaway over former manager and Mets coach Manny Acta. It was sufficient enough for them to bypass current hitting coach Kevin Long.
Callaway had impressed so much during his interview and during his time with the Cleveland Indians, the Mets were not willing to wait. They had Fred Wilpon sit down and sell him on the franchise similar to how the team once did with Billy Wagner and Curtis Granderson.
Give the Mets credit here. They identified their man, and they did all they could do to bring him into the organization. Deservedly so, many complimented the Mets on making a smart hire, including the fans who were skeptical of the direction the Mets would go.
Their man also happened to be a pitching guru, who will now be tasked with the responsibility of fixing Matt Harvey as well as finding a way to keep Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, Zack Wheeler, and Jeurys Familia healthy for a full season.
If Mets fans want a reason to be excited for this season, there is no bigger reason than Callaway choosing to manage this pitching staff. By doing so, he’s announced he’s a believer, and he’s put his and the Mets future on this lines.
The team hiring Callaway so early and so aggressively had a domino effect. It looks like the first domino to fall will be hitting coach Kevin Long.
Long has had a positive impact on the players on this Mets roster. He helped turn Yoenis Cespedes from a slugger to a star. By OPS+ and wRC+, Asdrubal Cabrera had two of his best five offensive seasons. Michael Conforto would prove he could hit left-handed pitching at the Major League level.
With Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith being two cornerstones of the franchise, Long was exactly the man you wanted to help them reach their offensive ceilings. Now, that won’t happen because Long is likely gone.
Another person you would want to help lead young players like Rosario and Smith is Joe Girardi. In his one year with the Marlins, and this past season working with young players like Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, the Yankees made a surprising run this season that ended with a Game 7 loss in the ALCS.
What is interesting is the Mets were rumored to want Girardi. As reported by the New York Post, the Mets were looking to possibly “pounce” on Girardi if the Yankees did not bring him back.
That was written during the ALDS when it appeared Girardi’s job was in jeopardy. After the Yankees recovered and upset the Indians and took the Astros to seven games, there weren’t too many people who stuck believed Girardi would be looking for another job.
And yet, he is. This should at least raise some questions whether the Mets should have done their due diligence. Maybe another round of interviews were in order. Conducting that extra round could have left the Mets open to the chance of not making an hire before Girardi became available.
Maybe if there was a second round of interviews, Long feels more appreciated instead of taking his binders to another job. That other job could be as the manager or hitting coach of the Washington Nationals where he would reunite with Daniel Murphy. Maybe with Long at the helm, the Nationals finally get past the NLDS.
If that were to happen, and if Callaway falters, it would be too much for Mets fans to bear. Yet again, the Mets let one of their own go to the Nationals leading them to further success because they were enamored with someone from another organization. Like with Murphy and Justin Turner, Sandy Alderson will have opened himself up to justifiable second guessing.
The team jumped the gun costing themselves a chance to hire a terrific manager in Girardi, and it might have cost them the opportunity to retain a coach they thought highly enough of they almost made him their manager. The Mets were left with a manager who has never managed professionally, and they have to rebuild a coaching staff.
Instead of making the safe choice like they did when they hired Terry Collins, the Mets instead chose to go for the high risk – high reward hire. It worked with Davey, and it failed with Torre.
This is exactly why the Mets need to be right about their decision to hire Callaway.
One of the things that was discussed often by John Smoltz, and really people everywhere was how Dave Roberts chose to manage Game Two of the World Series. The end result of those moves was Brandon McCarthy, who was added to the World Series roster in place of Curtis Granderson, made his first pitching appearance since October 1st. The end result was McCarthy allowing a two run homer to George Springer that ultimately decided the game.
Roberts had to go with McCarthy because he was his last reliever available as he went to his bullpen early in this game. Oh, and by the way, all hell broke loose after the seventh inning.
MARWIN IN THE 9TH! TIE GAME.
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 26, 2017
JOSE ALTUVE FOR THE LEAD! https://t.co/0QfjirPq9o
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 26, 2017
Yasiel Puig cuts the deficit to 5-4 in the 10th with a mammoth solo home run to left field
プイちゃんの、10回のソロ弾 pic.twitter.com/JoTMWxFKgR— yulogy (@yuarerad) October 26, 2017
TIE GAME! TIE GAME! TIE GAME! #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/Ld8KIBk9cF
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 26, 2017
⚾: Astros de Houston venció a Dodgers 7-6, con home run de dos carreras de George Springer en la entrada 11, para empatar la Serie Mundial. pic.twitter.com/89pBqh3ILO
— José Juan Vázquez (@josejuangelv) October 26, 2017
In back and forth games like this, there is seemingly nothing a manager can do to stem the tide. Sure, it helps to have your best relievers available, but Roberts already used his. He was probably right to do so. To that end, here’s each move he made:
Top of the 5th, Dodgers Down 1-0
At this point in the game, Justin Verlander had a no-hitter going, and he looked every bit as hittable. At the time, Rich Hill limited the Astros to an Alex Bregman RBI single, but he was far from dominant allowing three hits and three walks. At this point, if you are going to win this game against Verlander, you’re really hoping someone runs into one to tie it and let your dominant bullpen win the day. For that to happen, you have to keep it as close as possible. As a result, going to Kenta Maeda was precisely the right move.
Top of the 6th, Game Tied 1-1
Joc Pederson did exactly what the Dodgers needed tying the game with a homer. After Maeda did his part keeping the Astros off the board in the fifth, he allowed a lead-off single to Carlos Correa. After a Guerriel pop-out, the Astros lineup was L-S-L, which called for a left-handed reliever. Roberts brought in Tony Watson, who did his job by getting Brian McCann to hit into the inning ending double play.
Top of the 7th, Dodgers Leading 3-1
Out of nowhere, Chris Taylor earned a two out walk, and Corey Seager hit a good pitch to give the Dodgers an improbable 3-1 lead. The team would have only two hits until extra innings, but they certainly made them count. To try to hold the lead, Roberts, who had pinch hit for Watson in the sixth, went to Ross Stripling.
If you want to ding Roberts, this is the spot. After Stripling allowed a lead-off walk to Marwin Gonzalez, Roberts pulled Stripling from the game. Apparently, he was not willing to let the game get out of hand, so he instead brought in Brandon Morrow, who induced Josh Reddick to hit into a double play to prevent the inning from escalating.
Top of the 8th, Dodgers Leading 3-1
Roberts tried to get some extra outs out of Morrow, who only threw nine pitches in the seventh. After a Bregman ground rule double just out of the reach of Puig, Roberts didn’t take chances. He went to Kenley Jansen, who has been as dominant a postseason closer we have ever seen this side of Mariano Rivera.
Yes, the Astros would get one back here, and they would tie the game on an unlikely Gonzalez homer off Jansen, but as any Mets fan that saw Tyler Clippard set the stage for disaster in Game 4 of the World Series, it was the right move.
In the end, Roberts went full bore for this win with a day off today giving his pitchers an extra day of rest. He had the pitcher you wanted on the mound to close out the game to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. Just because Jansen failed doesn’t mean Roberts was wrong. Rather, it means it didn’t work. Those aren’t always the same thing.
If the Dodgers win, we’re talking about Roberts the genius. Fact is, we still should be because he did a great job getting his team on the precipice of a 2-0 series lead.
Watching the World Series last night, there was certainly a lot to unpack. With the game time temperature being over 100 degrees, it was easily the hottest temperature for a World Series game. What ensued from there was a very played, very enjoyable, and very interesting game.
Chris Taylor hit the first pitch from Dallas Keuchel for a home run. This was the first time that has happened in a World Series since Alcides Escobar hit an inside the park home run off Matt Harvey on a ball that Yoenis Cespedes still hasn’t bothered to chase after.
Staying on the Mets related front, Curtis Granderson was removed from the World Series roster, but Chase Utley was kept on it. Of course, this means we will have to keep an eye on Carlos Correa‘s legs should Utley make it on base. Considering he’s gone 0 for his last 21 postseason at-bats, it does not seem like Houston will have a problem on that front.
There was also seeing Justin Turner hitting the game winning home run in the sixth inning was enough for the Dodgers to pull out the 3-1 victory. This was just another reminder that the Mets had no need for the man who just tied Hall of Famer Duke Snider of “Willie, Mickey, and the Duke” fame for the most RBI in Dodgers postseason history.
That was enough because we got an old fashioned pitchers duel between Keuchel and Clayton Kershaw. After an Alex Bregman fourth inning homer, many questioned whether we would see the return of the Kershaw who struggled in the postseason. It didn’t happen. Instead, Kershaw was Kershaw allowing just three hits over seven innings while striking out 11 Astros.
It was a great and rare 2 hour and 28 minute baseball game; not just World Series game, but baseball game. It truly was a joy to watch except for the encroachment of the commercial breaks.
On three separate occasions during the telecast, Joe Buck broke from the action for a quick commercial break. One was for Wendys and the other two were from T-Mobile. Now, this didn’t happen while a ball was in play, but rather in between plays. That’s typically the time for John Smoltz or whoever the color commentator is to give a quick quip or analysis. At times, that’s when the sideline reporter is given the opportunity to provide insight or a sentimental story on a player:
@buck couldn't go to @Ken_Rosenthal for a relevant report due to a @TMobile commercial run during an inning.
— Mets Daddy (@MetsDaddy2013) October 25, 2017
How did MLB allow this to happen? We didn’t see this at all during the games broadcast on FS1 this postseason. We don’t see Fox do it to their other sports, especially not football. In baseball’s biggest showcase, they’ve allowed Fox to broadcast intrusive commercials during game action.
What makes this all the more egregious is there are longer commercial breaks for nationally televised games. Fox has an extra window to get in commercials. There are plenty of other areas to get adverstising dollars. Certainly, every Mets fan is aware of the Cholula hot sauce gun readings during Mets games. If you’ve listened to a game on the radio, you’ve heard Howie mention it’s the 15th batter of the game necessitating we do a quick GEICO mention.
The point there is while it was an intrusion, it didn’t take away from the game action. It was handled by the announcer who could then quickly throw it back to the game. You didn’t have that with the odd split screen, you know, in case you actually wanted to watch the game.
Believe it or not, this was a bad omen. It could very well be the beginning of much more instrusive commercials during not just nationally televised games, but also regionally televised games. Once teams get the sense this is either permissible, or that fans have become apathetic to it, it’s going to happen. And that’s a very bad thing, especially for Mets fans who tune into games partially to hear Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling.
In the end, the lasting image of the 2017 World Series may not be a Turner homer or Kershaw finally being Kershaw in the biggest stage of all. Likely, it’s going to be a T-Mobile commercial.
For the most part, Mets fans were ecstatic about the team hiring Mickey Callaway. That went double after that upbeat press conference where Callaway both promised he would love his players, and they would be the most durable and well-prepared players in the Major Leagues.
There are plenty of reasons to like the move. The Mets hired someone who worked with Terry Francona, who is a future Hall of Famer. The team found someone who has shown the ability not just to comprehend analytics, but also to translate them to pitchers in a way that helps them improve. He’s a new and fresh voice that the team has not had in quite some time. People around baseball seemed to just love the decision of the Mets hiring the second most coveted managerial candidate behind Alex Cora.
These are all well and good reasons to get excited about the hire. There are presumably many more. However, the biggest reason to get excited about the hire is a pitching coach like Callaway chose to manage this Mets team.
That is of no small significance. After the 2015 season, many believed the Mets were going to be a perennial postseason team. Certainly, if things broke the Mets way, they could very well have become a dynastic team, at the very least in the mold of the 1980s Mets teams that were in contention each and every season. However, instead of things breaking the Mets way, the team mostly broke down.
Matt Harvey had to have surgery to alleviate the effects of his TOS, and he followed that up with trying to pitch with an atrophied muscle in his pitching shoulder. Zack Wheeler missed two seasons due to a torn UCL and complications from his Tommy John surgery, and he found himself missing the final two and a half months of the season with a stress reaction. Noah Syndergaard had a torn lat. Jeurys Familia had blod clots removed from his pitching shoulder. Steven Matz had another injury riddled season with him having to have season ending surgery to reposition the ulnar nerve. That was the surgery Jacob deGrom had last season. Speaking of deGrom, he really was the only healthy Mets pitcher during the entire 2017 season.
The pitching behind the injured starters wasn’t pretty. Rafael Montero continued to be an enigma. Chris Flexen showed he wasn’t ready to pitch at the Major League level. Robert Gsellman had his own injury, and he regressed quite severly after a really promising September in 2016. Seth Lugo had come back from his own injury issues, and upon his return, he struggled to get through the lineup three times.
Add to that Hansel Robles being Hansel Robles, and Josh Smoker failing to emerge as that late inning reliever his stuff promised he could be, and the Mets lack of Major League ready starting pitching talent in the minors, and you wonder why anyone would want to become the Mets pitching coach, let alone a manager whose strength is his work with a pitching staff.
Make no mistake, Callaway had to have liked what he saw with this team. Maybe it’s an arrogance any manager or coach has thinking they will be the one to turn things around. Maybe, it was his work with injury prone pitchers like Carlos Carrasco that made him believe he could definitely make things work. Whatever it is, the pitching guru that Callaway is purported to be liked what he sees with the Mets enough to potentially put his reputations and maybe his managerial future on a staff that some believed had fallen apart beyond repair.
Certainly, Callaway would have had other opportunities to accept a managerial position whether it was this year with an up and coming team like the Phillies, or next year when there would be more openings available. Instead, he chose to resurrect what was once a great Mets pitching staff. In part, he chose to do this because he believes in this talent, and he believes he is the man to do it.
That more than anything else is the biggest reason to be excited about this hire, and it is a reason to get excited about the 2018 season.
With the World Series beginning tonight, Carlos Beltran and Curtis Granderson will be battling it out to win their first ever World Series ring. This could be the last chance either player gets to win that elusive ring.
Between the two, it certainly looks like this will be Beltran’s last chance. The 40 year old is coming off a season that saw him hit just .231/.283/.383 in 129 games. During the season, his teammates jokingly buried his glove. After the year, they may be cremating his bat as he has seen more and more of his at-bats go to Evan Gattis. Once considered a sure thing in the postseason, he’s just 3-17 in this postseason including going 1-12 in the ALCS.
As for Granderson, you don’t know. After just a dismal April, the slow starter began hitting again. From May 1st until he was traded to the Dodgers, he was playing about as well as anyone hitting .263/.383/.570. After becoming a Dodger, things were much different for Granderson. In 36 games for the Dodgers, he hit a paltry .161/.288/.366. In this postseason, he’s just 1-15 with an 0-7 in the NLCS. Things have gotten to the point with him that there are actually calls for him to be left off the World Series roster in favor of Charlie Culberson. Sure, this has something to do with Corey Seager‘s back injury, but still, many seem unaware of Granderson hitting three huge homers in the 2015 World Series.
Between the two, Beltran looks closer to the end than Granderson. Whereas the decision may be all but made for Beltran, it appears Granderson will get to make the choice himself. Still, as we know even if Granderson returns to play a 15th season at the age of 37, there is no guarantee he will ever get back to this point.
So this may very well be it for the both of them, and that’s a shame because both have been great players with Beltran likely being a future Hall of Famer. Both were great Mets as well. Beltran played at an MVP level for the Mets for many years, and he built his Hall of Fame case with the Mets. He will go down as the best centerfielder in Mets history.
As for Granderson, he will go down as not just a very good player, but one of the finest human beings to ever wear a Major League uniform. He’s the rare player that gets asked if he’s doing too much with his charitable endeavors. In some ways, he played the Keith Hernandez type role with this current Mets core helping teach them how to be winners.
They both deserve rings, but in the end only one of them will get them. All Mets fans should be thrilled for that player while feeling melancholy for the other. No matter what happens both will forever be Mets, and both should forever be remembered fondly by Mets fans.
With the Mets hiring Mickey Callaway, they have a manager with no managerial experience at any professional level. Sure, he’s a well respected pitching coach who has gotten the most of out young players and has helped rejuvenate careers. However, we have no idea how he will handle more than just a pitching staff. We don’t know how he will manage the dynamics in a clubhouse or how to manage playing time for everyone on the roster. Really, we don’t know how he will manage anything.
Having worked with Terry Francona sure helps, but ideally the Mets will need a respected veteran voice to help Callaway through the process. With the Nationals not bringing back Dusty Baker, the Mets should seriously consider him to be Callaway’s bench coach.
Now, we know the reasons why any organization, especially the Mets, would not want to bring Baker aboard. Baker railed against things like “clogging the bases,” and he has long been blamed for the injuries that would befall Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. His in-game strategy was always in question. For the longest time, many pointed to Baker’s decision to lift a cruising Russ Ortiz as the moment the Giants lost the 2002 World Series. While Baker has purportedly improved on the decision making front, including his use of Max Scherzer out of the bullpen in Game 5 of the NLDS, Baker was still the manager who not only kept Jayson Werth in the lineup, but also batted him second.
Behind that is a guy who has won everywhere. Over his 22 year managerial career, Baker has amassed a 1,863-1636 (.532) record, and he has a pennant to his resume. Remarkably, Baker has had 14 winning seasons in his resume. He has taken the Giants, Cubs, Reds, and Nationals to the postseason with him totaling nine trips to the postseason. One of the years his teams didn’t go to the postseason was in 1993 when his 103 loss Giants team was edged out by the Braves for the division on the last game of the season in the pre-Wild Card format.
Yes, we all know that rosters win games more than managers, but still Baker has typically done something right as a manager to get the most out of his talent. You need not look any further than how the Nationals fared under Baker as opposed to Matt Williams. While it may not show up anywhere tangible, Baker knows what he is doing, and he would serve as a fine mentor for a young manager like Callaway.
Hiring Baker serves another purpose as well. If the Mets want to get back to the postseason, they are going to have to go through the Nationals. It certainly wouldn’t hurt the Mets to have an insight into that Nationals team. Certainly, information like that could go far to helping the first time manager.
Overall, Baker may not have the one calling the shots with his somewhat antiquated worldview, but that’s why you hired Callaway. You want him to come to the job using an analytical approach to managing the game. For the rest, Baker’s knowledge is unparalleled and would go a long way to helping Callaway.
Mickey Callaway
Current Position: Indians Pitching Coach
Age: 05/13/1975 (42)
Managerial Experience: 2008 Texas A&M International University (Division II) 19-37
Like Alex Cora, Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway has emerged as one of the hot managerial candidates. Also like Cora, Callaway has no professional managerial experience.
Despite that many are believers in Callaway’s ability to manage a team including his manager Terry Francona. During last year’s World Series, Francona would say of his pitching coach, “Mickey has been beyond his years or beyond his experience,” Indians manager Terry Francona told MLB.com during last season’s World Series. “He’s so good. I mean, the game doesn’t go too fast for him. You look over at him in the dugout, and he’s got a great demeanor. I think if Mickey wants to manage, I think it’s just whenever.” (MLB.com).
The main basis why you’d hire Callaway is his work with Indians pitchers since 2010. His fingerprints are all over this team with him serving as a minor league pitching coach, minor league pitching coordinator, and finally the pitching coach. Over the past three years, the Indians have had a top two American League team ERA with Cleveland leading the majors in that catergory this year.
Overall, the Indians pitching has been so great that Fangraphs posited this season they could be the greatest staff ever.
As with most pitching coaches, it’s the talent on the staff that makes the pitching coach. The Mets need not look any further than Dan Warthen there. In 2015, he was a guru with a staff excelling using his “Warthen Slider.” This season, the Mets pitchers were injured and the pitchers here put up a historically bad season leading Warthen being reassigned in the organization.
As with any manager or coach, it’s talent. What separates Callaway from the pack is he seems adept at not only developing pitchers, but also rejuvenating careers. Aside from the work he’s done with Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco, we’ve seen him help Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir rejuvenate their careers.
As Callaway tells it, this is a byproduct of his empathy and experience saying, “You have all this knowledge from all these people and you’ve tried things out. Did they work? Did they not work? I think it’s a little bit easier when you’ve had that type of career.” (Cleveland Plain Dealer).
Other people in the Indians organization, including his manager and pitchers, point to Callaway being a communicator who deeply cares about his pitchers. Callaway works with pitchers to make methodical rather than radical changes, and he presents information to pitchers and decides with the pitcher where the focus should be.
Combine these traits with his learning under one of the best in future Hall of Famer Francona, you have the makings of a great manager.
However, this obfuscates the fact Callaway has no professional managerial experience and the fact many pitching coaches struggle to make the transition from pitching coach to manager. Put in another sport context, pitching coaches are routinely seen as great coordinators but lousy head coaches.
One of the reasons why is for the first time, that pitching coach is entrusted not just with half a team but a whole team. He is the one now making calls on in-game strategy and pitching changes. He’s got to work with pitchers and hitters. Some are never quite able to rise to that challenge.
What the Players Say:
Corey Kluber: “He doesn’t think he’s got all the answers. Whether it be a scout or front office, analytical guy, he’s open to anything and everything.”
Justin Masterson: “”Everyone wanted to say, ‘Do this. Do this. Do this.’ You have a guy who came in and said, ‘Tell me what you’re feeling. Tell me what’s going on. Now let’s see if we can work this in your terms of what you think is right and what you want to do.’ I think in the end, that’s what helped him.”
Cody Allen: “He understands that. He doesn’t want to be that overbearing guy that says, ‘Man, you have to do this. If you just did this, you would be able to do this.’ If there is something in there that you could possibly get more out of, then he may bring it up and leave it up to you. But he’s not going to say, ‘You need to do this.'”
Recommendation:
For those concerned about his being just a pitching coach, Joe Maddon went from Angels pitching coach to a three time Manager of the Year and World Series champion. It should be liter with him, he also served in other roles in that Angels staff including being Terry Collins bench coach.
Other examples of successful pitching coaches who became managers include Bud Black and John Farrell. Both should serve as informative for Callaway because he considers Black as a mentor, and Farrell was a former Francona pitching coach turned manager.
The moral of the story is good communicators tend to make good managers. Smart baseball people who bring out the best in their players can become great managers. That’s what’s so enticing about Callaway.
In the end, of all the people the Mets have interviewed, Callaway is the highest risk, and he could be the highest reward.
Editor’s Note: This was first published on MMO.
Manny Acta
Current Position: Mariners Third Base Coach
Age: 1/11/1969 (48)
MLB Managerial Experience: 2007 – 2009 Washington Nationals 158 – 252 (.385); 2010 – 2012 Cleveland Indians 214-266 (.480)
One of the most respected coaches on Willie Randolph‘s staff was noticeably missing during the 2007 and 2008 collapses that doomed not just the Mets, but also Randolph. The person missing was third base coach Manny Acta.
Much like we saw with Alex Cora this season, Acta was a hot commodity back then because he was widely considered the next big manager. Acta was respected for his intelligence, baseball acumen, and his ability to communicate with players. That went double for young and Hispanic players. In fact, the Washington Nationals said of Acta, “Manny is so intelligent, and so articulate. And he’s very good with players. He’s very active. He was out there hitting fungos (while managing the Nationals). He has a lot going for him.” (Sports Illustrated). That’s a remarkable thing to say about a manager. It’s all the more incredible when you consider that was said when they fired him.
Because Acta is well respected and because people believe he’s an intelligent man who continues to educate himself, he keeps getting jobs. After failing with the Nationals, he was hired by the Indians. After failing with the Indians, he was hired by Baseball Tonight. After a well received Baseball Tonight stint, he was hired by the Mariners to serve as their third base coach, a position which he holds today.
Considering how well respected he is, it makes you question why he never worked out as a manager. For starters, he’s never really had good teams. When we thing of the current Nationals who are one of the best teams in baseball, you think of Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, and Ryan Zimmerman. In his Nationals tenure, Acta only got to manage a young Zimmerman.
In Cleveland, he had a difficult situation with the old players getting old fast, and the young players not being quite ready. Players like Johnny Damon and Derek Lowe were hanging on while Jason Kipnis and Corey Kluber weren’t what they are now. As many will note, even the best of managers cannot win without talent.
But with Acta, it might have been more than just a lack of talent. In a MASN article, Acta was described as being unable to relate to players. As bad as that might be, an AP article was even more damning of Acta as a manager with Indians players feeling as if Acta did not have their back. There were other reports suggesting Acta was rigid in his ways, and that he was unable to motivate his players. Put another way, Acta’s greatest weakness as manager might be his ability to handle a clubhouse.
What the Players Say:
Joe Smith: “Our team, for whatever reason, didn’t seem motivated to play. It’s sad when you say that about a bunch of guys that get paid to play a game. You shouldn’t need somebody else to motivate you to play this game. At the end of the day, it’s on us, but when it came that time to motivate us, there wasn’t a whole lot of it there.” (MLB.com)
Josh Tomlin: “He said that’s how he managed, that’s how he won in the Minor Leagues and that’s how he was going to win in the big leagues — by being himself. You have to respect a man for that, that he wasn’t going to change who he was.”
Recommendation:
It is interesting to see Mike Puma’s recent New York Post article on the subject of Acta’s candidacy. Ultimately, it highlighted the best points of Acta that leads to teams continuously trying to bring him into their organization. However, that same piece highlighted his weaknesses, notably his inability to “handle controversy.”
What we don’t know from with Acta is if he’s grown from the issues that held back his career in Washington and Cleveland. If he hasn’t then hiring him should prove to be a disaster much in the same way hiring Art Howe or Jeff Torborg was. The Puma article does little to quell those concerns.
However, if Acta has grown and has learned from his mistakes in the clubhouse like we have see from Terry Collins during his Mets managerial career, you will have a smart baseball person who is hard working. In life, you can never go wrong with smart and hard working.
Ultimately, any decision on Acta should begin with long and honest conversations with David Wright and Asdrubal Cabrera. Both are veterans who Acta has coached/managed. If both endorse Acta, it’s possible he’s the right man for the job. That goes double when you consider most of the praise directed at Acta comes from front offices and not players. If Acta doesn’t receive glowing endorsements from Wright or Cabrera, it should be an easy decision to look in a different direction.
Editor’s Note: this was first published on MMO
Mets Hitting Coach Kevin Long
Current Position: Mets Hitting Coach (2015 – present)
Age: 12/30/66 (50)
Managerial Experience: 1998 Wilmington Blue Rocks (A) 6-1; Spokane Indians (A) 44-32 (League Champs)
After a dismal 2014 season, the Mets fired Dave Hudgens and brought Long aboard to serve as the team’s new hitting coach. Certainly, Long’s previous working experience with Curtis Granderson, and the Mets wanting to get the biggest free agent acquisition in the Sandy Alderson Era going didn’t hurt. In his time with the Mets, Long has certainly distinguished himself to the point where he’s actually been referred to as a “rock star.” (MLB.com).
To name a few, we have seen Granderson, Daniel Murphy, Yoenis Cespedes, Jay Bruce, and Neil Walker become better hitters under Long’s tutelage. Generally speaking, when Long’s message gets through, we see players both increase their OBP and their slugging. As noted in a New York Times article, 0ne of the reasons why Long is able to help players improve as hitters is they compile all the relevant data, they filter it down, and they convey that information to the players in the hopes they absorb it and to put it to good use.
In terms of not just the modern manager, but any manager, you are looking for an individual who not only has the ability to understand the data provided to him, but also the best way to convey that data to the players in a way that is effective. As noted with player like Murphy and Cespedes, it has worked. Conversely, we have also seen Long fail to help Travis d’Arnaud and Juan Lagares reach their offensive ceilings. That’s certainly something that has held the Mets back and forced the team to acquire some players over the past few seasons.
Another issue with Long is his lack of managerial experience. He has not managed anywhere since 1999, and he has not managed above short season Single-A ball. Accordingly, we really have no idea how he would handle being in charge of every aspect of a clubhouse, a pitching staff, personalities, and playing time.
To that end, it should be noted Long has a good relationship with former Yankees and Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland, who is noted for helping fix pitcher’s mechanics. After all the times the past few seasons we have heard Mets pitchers point to mechanical issues, the team could certainly use a pitching coach like Eiland to replace Dan Warthen.
Still, with Long, we have seen a coach that already has the respect of the players in the Mets clubhouse, and he has a report with the front office. We see someone who is a good communicator and someone who has the ability to understand and translate data. Ultimately, we may not know what type of manager he would become, but we do know he has the tools to succeed as a manager.
What The Players Say:
Granderson: “If that were to happen, obviously he’d be up for the challenge. He’s always energetic, he communicates, which I think is the biggest thing a manager needs to have . . . So many things can be resolved if people just communicate.” (Newsday).
Alex Rodriguez: “And that’s why I think Kevin Long could be a good manager. It’s more like a CEO of a public company. You’re basically getting information from your board and ownership and you’re transferring it to your shareholder which are the players.” (WFAN)
Recommendation:
Understandably, Mets fans probably want someone with more experience, and some want a completely new face. However, with the current front office going nowhere, you are going to need someone who you know has a good working relationship with the front office. It also helps that Long has a respect in the clubhouse, and the ability to communicate with this players.
Due to his strengths, Long would be a fine choice for manager with one caveat. With his lack of experience, Long is going to need a strong staff with an accomplished pitching coach and a veteran bench coach to help guide him. Short of that, and the Mets are really just setting up Long for failure.
Two years ago, the New York Mets swept the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS. Each and every Mets player played a part in the Mets reaching that moment, but perhaps none played a bigger role that Curtis Granderson. As a just reward, the native Chicagoan, who has contributed so much to his hometown, got to celebrate winning a pennant in his hometown.
With the Dodgers winning the NLCS last night, Granderson once again got to celebrate winning a pennant in a hometown. Coincidentally, since the inception of the divisional format in 1961, Granderson has celebrated more pennants at Wrigley Field than the entire Cubs franchise. The one thing the Cubs have that Granderson doesn’t is a World Series title.
Back in 2015, Granderson did all he could do to get that title. In that World Series, he was the best player on the field for either team. The three home runs he hit in that series gave the Mets the lead. Certainly, had things gone differently Granderson would have been named the World Series MVP. For faults that were not his own, the Mets didn’t win that World Series, and Granderson remains without a World Series title. Arguably, this is World Series is Granderson’s best chance to get that elusive World Series ring.
Certainly, you can argue Granderson deserves that ring because he has been a very good player over his 14 year career. More than that, Granderson deserves that ring because he his as a good a human being as has ever put on a Major League uniform. He’s actually the rare athlete where teams question if he’s tiring himself out by spending some much time doing charitable work. (New York Times). That’s a rare and admirable trait to see an an individual, let alone a professional athlete.
After his stint with the Dodgers, it seems more likely than ever Granderson is near the end of his career. He’s been a good player and an even better person. This may very well be his last and perhaps his best chance to win a World Series. Here’s hoping he gets it.