Mets

Yankees reliever has no hard feelings with new Mets’ manager Buck Showalter after 2016 playoff game

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After weeks of speculation, the New York Mets finally decided on their new skipper for the 2022 season: it will be veteran Buck Showalter, who has been leading MLB teams since 1992 and was out of baseball’s dugouts since 2018.

Showalter’s last stint as a major league skipper was with the Baltimore Orioles, from 2012 to 2018. There, he managed one of the league’s best relievers of the mid-2010s, one who currently plays with the New York Yankees: Zack Britton.

In the 2016 American League Wild Card game between the Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays, Showalter did not use Britton, MLB’s most dominant relief arm back then, in a close game that ended up going to extras. The Blue Jays won 5-2 in 11 innings, and Britton didn’t see the mound. The Mets know this, but are convinced he has learned from his mistake.

Britton has no problems with the new Mets’ skipper

Britton, in a conversation with The Athletic (link to NJ Advance Media here), said very good things about Showalter and wished him good luck with the Mets. And he told the story of what happened after that controversial game.

“We always had this spring training thing, which I thought was cool — off-site, get together in a movie theater, kind of show you the highlights of the previous season, just a bonding moment for the team,” Britton said. “During that meeting, he got up there and said, ‘Before we start, I just want to address the elephant in the room.’ He apologized to me, which I didn’t think he needed to do. I think there were some guys on the team that were frustrated by the move. He just said: ‘That’s my bad. I messed up.’ And it was done with.”

Britton approves the Mets’ hiring of Showalter and says he is the right man for the job for the crosstown rivals.

“He’s going to want more control than a typical manager. I know nothing about the Mets. But if you want an organizational change, he’s probably your guy. He’s going to change your whole philosophy, not just from the major-league side but also the minors. He wanted to know what was happening in Triple A and Double A in Baltimore. He’s going to have a new, whole, ‘This is how we play baseball,’ from top to bottom. If that’s what you’re looking for, I’m not sure there’s anyone better.”

New York Yankees managers haven’t been successful with the Mets

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Over the years, the New York Yankees have had some very successful managers that have led them to 27 World Championships. Five of those managers have also managed the New York Mets, but with far less success. Casey Stengel, Joe Torre, Yogi Berra, Dallas Green, and now as of yesterday Buck Showalter. Mets owner Steve Cohen announced the new Mets manager via his Twitter account. But strangely, all but one did not have any success with the Mets.

Casey Stengel, Yankees manager: 1949-60 – Mets manager: 1962-65

During his tenure, Casey Stengel was one of the most successful Yankee managers taking them to seven World Championships. He also took the Yankees to ten American League pennants during his 12 years with the Yankees. It was a different story when he took over the management of the Mets.

In 1962, the New York Mets came on the scene as the first National League expansion team; they selected former Yankee manager Casey Stengel to lead the team. Unfortunately, the results weren’t good; Stengel lost a historic 120 games that year, a stat that still holds today. Following two more 100 game plus losing seasons, Stengel retired after breaking his hip in 1965.

Yogi Berra, Yankees manager: 1964, 1984-85 – Mets manager: 1972-75

Yogi Berra wasn’t the winningest Yankee manager, but he did win a pennant with both the Yankees and the New York Mets. After George Steinbrenner fired Yogi in 1965, he became a coach for the cross-town Mets. In 1972, he became the Mets’ manager and won the NLCS against the Cincinnati Reds.

However, his success was short-lived. In 1973, he won just three more games than he lost, but nevertheless, he carried the team to the World Series, in which he lost four games to three. In 1974 he had a disastrous season with the Mets winning only 71 games. Finally, in 1975 after a poor start, the Mets had seen enough and fired Berra.

Joe Torre, Mets manager: 1977-81 – Yankees manager: 1996-2007

Joe Torre may be an iconic New York Yankee manager, but he managed several bad teams with little success before that. Long before his championship run with the Yankees, he managed the Mets for five years, starting in 1977. It was his first foray into managing, and it showed as he won only 286 games while losing 420. After five years, he was fired by the Mets.

Dallas Green, Yankees manager: 1989 – Mets manager: 1993-96

Many newer Yankee fans may not know that Dallas Green was ever a Yankee manager, but he was for 121 games in the failed 1989 season. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner fired him. But, just a few years later, he was hired by the New York Mets. That stint was just as bad; he had a 229-283 record in his four years at the helm of the Mets.

Buck Showalter, Yankee manager: 1992-95 – Mets manager: 2022 -current

Just being selected by the Mets, Buck Showalter has yet to show his abilities. After two losing seasons, the Mets hired Showalter to right the ship. Mets owner Steve Cohen has given him the tools to do it. 

Showalter managed the New York Yankees for three years from 1992. During his four years as the Yankees’ manager, the team posted a record of 313–268. He finished first in the 1994 strike-shortened season. The Associated Press named him manager of the year. In 1995, he was the manager of the All-Star game. The Yankees won the Wild Card game that year but lost to the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS. Most recently, Showalter was a pre and post-game commentator for the Yankees on the YES Network.

Showalter’s management career has been mostly tainted by taking over loser teams, the Diamondbacks, the Rangers, the Orioles, and the Yankees during some poor years. But Showalter enters this challenge with two of the best pitchers in the business and a much better Mets team. Time will tell, but many analysts say with Showalter at the helm, the team could win their first World Series since 1986.

New York Mets: Cohen hires ex-Yankee manager Buck Showalter

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After two losing seasons, the New York Mets owner Steve Cohen has finally chosen a new manager to lead the Mets to a post-season appearance. Cohen announced on his Twitter account that he had selected Buck Showalter.

Going into the last round of interviews, Showalter seemed to be the favorite. The Mets had already rejected Bob Geren, Clayton McCullough, and Brad Ausmus. That left Showalter, Astros’ bench coach Joe Espada. and Tampa Bay Rays’ bench coach Matt Quatraro. We now know that Showalter got the job.

Showalter managed the New York Yankees for three years from 1992. During his four years as the Yankees’ manager, the team posted a record of 313–268. He finished first in the 1994 strike-shortened season. The Associated Press named him manager of the year. In 1995 he was the manager of the All-Star game. The Yankees won the Wild Card game that year but lost to the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS. Most recently, Showalter was a pre and post-game commentator for the Yankees on the YES Network.

Showalter also managed the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers. Showalter, in his career, has been named manager of the year three times, most recently with the Orioles.

Showalter had his longest term as a manager with the Baltimore Orioles. He managed the O’s from 2013 to 2018. He took over the losing team and became the first manager to take over a losing team mid-season and turn it into a winning record at the end of the season. Showalter brought the Orioles to the post-season three of his five years with the team. Showalter’s contract was up after the 2018 season, and with 115 losses that year, he was not brought back as manager.

The Mets have already made some very smart moves with Cohen’s pocketbook open. New general manager Eppler has added outfielders Starling Marte and Mark Canha, infielder Eduardo Escobar, and in the big move, spent $130 million on another ace pitcher in Max Scherzer on a three-year contract. With Jacob deGrom and Francisco Lindor back for the 2022 season, Showalter will have a lot to work with.

The choice of Showalter is an interesting one; he is an old-time gut manager. He understands and respects analytics, but you can bet he will overrule them when his gut tells him otherwise. Stay with EmpireSportsMedia.com as this story unfolds.

Could the Mets bring back Carlos Beltran as a coach for 2022? “It wouldn’t be a huge surprise”

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New York Yankees, New York Mets, Carlos Beltran

The New York Mets hired Carlos Beltran to be their manager on November 1, 2019. The hire was applauded by most analysts and fans, as he has been described as a baseball man, with deep knowledge about the game.

But after his involvement in the Houston Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal, Beltran and the Mets parted ways, and New York hired Luis Rojas to take over the team in 2020.

A couple of years later, it appears the Mets could be ready to welcome back Beltran with open arms, but in a coaching role. Per the New York Post:

“It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if (Steve) Cohen and general manager Billy Eppler find a role for the former All-Star outfielder within the organization. Cohen, according to a source, was enamored with Beltran’s hiring as manager two years ago. … If (Buck) Showalter gets hired, the dynamic of pairing a younger presence such as Beltran (as bench coach) with a veteran manager could work.”

The Mets are still interviewing candidates to be their manager

At the moment, the Mets are making the second and final round of interviews to fill their manager position. Buck Showalter, Joe Espada, and Matt Quatraro are the finalists, and a decision is expected between this weekend and early next week.

Beltran had a fantastic playing career, one that took him to Flushing from 2005 to 2011, when he wore the Mets’ uniform. He was one of the game’s premier center fielders back in the day.

The baseball universe has been slowly, but surely moving on from the implications of the 2017 sign-stealing scandal. Manager AJ Hinch found a job in Detroit, Alex Cora is the skipper of the Boston Red Sox, and Beltran, who is more than prepared to be a manager in MLB, may be ready to return to baseball in some capacity.

Former Yankees’ All-Star praises two of the Mets’ managerial candidates

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The New York Mets are in the process of interviewing the three finalists for the manager position for a second time this week, with a decision expected by the weekend. Having a good skipper leading the team is extremely important, and the organization knows that, which is why they are taking their time.

As of now, the three finalists are Buck Showalter, Joe Espada, and Matt Quatraro. The first one has been managing big league teams since 1992, while the latter are part of the “new wave” of managerial prospects and haven’t had their first opportunity in the majors yet.

Former Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira played under Showalter’s leadership with the Texas Rangers, and he knows Espada from when he was a coach with the Bombers. According to the New York Post, he had nothing but good things to say about both.

“I think Buck Showalter is the smartest man in baseball, and that is not hyperbole,” Teixeira told Mike Puma, who covers the Mets for The Post. “When you sit down and talk to Buck about the game, he is just so sharp looking at it from all different angles and his record speaks for itself and there is not a more prepared manager as well.

“You take his intelligence and his preparation and I think he’s a great manager. Just look at what he’s done with so many franchises, building them up from the bottom.”

The Mets want to hire a manager open to dialogue and analytics

Teixeira said Showalter is very open to dialogue with his players and the front office, and also conceded he should have no problems embracing an analytics-heavy approach with the Mets.

When talking about Espada, he said he is universally loved by his players.

“We always had a veteran team with the Yankees and we all loved [Espada],” Teixeira told The Post. “It’s because he is willing to put the time in with the young guys, but he’s also smart enough to understand when you have to back off the veterans. When a veteran says, ‘Hey, this is kind of the way I want to do this,’ and Joe says he trusts you. He’s good enough to be able to handle both.

“He is one of those guys, the new school — if you want to call it that. He is the right way to go about managing or being a coach of the new school: Aaron Boone or Alex Cora or A.J. Hinch, these types of guys. I see Joe Espada, once he gets a job — because he will get a job soon, whether it’s with the Mets or somebody else — I see him having that type of success.”

Both the Yankees and Mets have a top 10 one-two punch at the rotation: See the rankings

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Having a strong rotation is extremely important in today’s MLB, and both the New York Yankees and Mets know that. Most of their respective failures in recent seasons have been partially caused by a lack of depth or star power in the pitching corps.

The Mets have solved the star-power issue this offseason by pairing Jacob deGrom with fellow ace Max Scherzer, who put pen to paper on a three-year, $130 million contract. Now, they have to bring in at least a couple of extra hurlers for depth, as there is not much behind those two, David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Carlos Carrasco, and Taijuan Walker.

The Yankees, on the other hand, haven’t done much this offseason. They lost Corey Kluber to the Tampa Bay Rays, yet they have failed to add anyone of note over the winter. Right now, Gerrit Cole leads the rotation, followed by Luis Severino, Jordan Montgomery, Jameson Taillon, Nestor Cortes Jr., and Domingo German.

When we talk about rotations around MLB, having a good 1-2 punch is definitely helpful, especially thinking about a hypothetical postseason run. CBS Sports made a ranking of the league’s best pairs of aces.

Here is the top ten:

10) Marlins: Sandy Alcantara and Trevor Rogers

9) Padres: Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish

8) Yankees: Gerrit Cole and Luis Severino

7) Phillies: Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola

6) Blue Jays: José Berríos and Kevin Gausman

5) Red Sox: Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Sale

4) White Sox: Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito

3) Dodgers: Walker Buehler and Julio Urías

2) Brewers: Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes

1)Mets: Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer

What does CBS say about the Mets and Yankees?

Here is what they said about the Yankees’ duo: “Behind Gerrit Cole it might be Jordan Montgomery, but we’ll go with Luis Severino. Cole carries a ton of weight here on his own as an obvious top-three Cy Young contender. If Severino is finally healthy, he’s a decent bet to pitch like a frontline starter, as he did in 2017 and 2018. He’s still only 27.”

And their writeup about the Mets: “This actually isn’t a no-brainer. Jacob deGrom only managed 15 starts last year and Max Scherzer is 37. Of course, deGrom had a 1.08 ERA and 0.55(!) WHIP with 146 strikeouts against 11 walks in his 92 innings last year. Scherzer had a 1.98 ERA in his 11 starts with the Dodgers and led the majors, among qualifiers, with a 0.86 WHIP. Even better, both are the type of pitcher when taking the mound where everyone knows it’s a must-watch game. While it might not be a sure thing, the best bet as to the top rotation tandem in baseball next season is with the Mets, Scherzer and deGrom.”

Do you agree with the rankings?

Mets name three finalists for manager job

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The New York Mets have been looking for a manager for a long time, since they decided not to bring back Luis Rojas early in the offseason. They brought in several star players and their new general manager, Billy Eppler, but so far, they haven’t decided who will lead the dugout and make in-game decisions. They are about to, however.

According to SNY Andy Martino, the Mets have narrowed down their search to three finalists after the first round of interviews: veteran Buck Showalter, Houston Astros’ bench coach Joe Espada and Tampa Bay Rays’ bench coach Matt Quatraro.

Six people were interviewed during the first round: the three mentioned candidates still have a chance, and Bob Geren, Clayton McCullough, and Brad Ausmus have been ruled out at this point.

SNY reports that Mets’ owner Steve Cohen is expected to be involved in the last round of interviews early this week, and a final decision is expected before next week.

Showalter is still the favorite to be the new Mets manager

Those with knowledge about the situation have said Martino that Showalter is the clear favorite to end up with the job. He is thought to be the guy unless something unexpected happens this week in the final round of interviews.

“Feels almost inevitable,” Martino said.

The Mets are trying to jumpstart their contention window after the finished the last two seasons with a losing record. Even though they were expected to make a deep playoff run this past campaign, they finished 77-85, including an ugly second-half collapse fueled by several injuries, including their best pitcher, Jacob deGrom, and their best position player (Francisco Lindor).

Cohen, Eppler and the Mets have already added outfielders Starling Marte and Mark Canha, infielder Eduardo Escobar, and star pitcher Max Scherzer to an already talented pool of players, and more moves are expected after the lockout with so much uncertainty surrounding the starting rotation.

Mets: Where Buck Showalter stands on analytics

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At this point in time, Buck Showalter is considered the favorite for the New York Mets’ managerial position. There are still other candidates who were interviewed, and the second (and last) round of interviews will presumably start over the weekend.

Showalter has a reputation of being an old-school manager that won’t embrace analytics, in a franchise that has revamped that department since Steve Cohen took over as owner, and even a little before that.

However, Danny Abriano of SNY.tv brought back some Showalter interviews from 2018, his last stint as an MLB manager with the Baltimore Orioles. The O’s analytics department that year was, well, not good, and the Mets project to be very strong in that area from now on.

The Mets could opt to bring in Showalter’s experience after the last two years of experiments with a rookie manager didn’t turn out well for them.

“I want to verify what my gut is telling me,” Showalter told Jayson Stark back then. “The analytics and the statistics are great. I use ’em. We were using ’em back in 1985 in the Florida State League. … they bring things that I can’t bring. I don’t have time, I can’t. And we bring things that they can’t bring.

Showalter is open to embracing analytics, and the Mets like that

Showalter said back then that the Orioles would have an analytics “course” each year to try to incorporate some concepts to the veteran coaches and instructors.

“Take the cloak off of it and let’s embrace it instead of going ‘wait a minute, that’s not the way I was brought up,'” Showalter said about what they were trying to do. “Learn from it. Also, I’d say ‘Okay, tell me what this tells us and then tell me what it doesn’t tell us. Tell me what WAR doesn’t tell us. They perfected the defensive schemes to really trust them.

“And players can’t feel like you’re robotically evaluating them with a piece of paper. … they need to know that they’re more than just a robotic piece of meat. They’re a human being, and sometimes that’s the separator in this game.”

If hired by the Mets, Showalter will have more resources at his disposal to “check his gut” and mesh the human being emotions and feelings with the numbers.

Mets reportedly “very impressed” with Buck Showalter interview

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New York Mets

The New York Mets are interviewing a “mystery” candidate for their managerial opening on Thursday, as they look to fill one of the most important positions a team can have. They have already talked to several interested contenders, including Brad Ausmus, Matt Quatraro, and others.

Buck Showalter, was interviewed on Wednesday and things reportedly went very well. “(The) Mets first round of interviews is almost over. One interview tomorrow with a mystery candidate (not a mystery to the team, who have this person on the schedule, but to me). Buck Showalter did well today,” was the report of SNY writer Andy Martino.

Showalter is the favorite for the job, and has by far the most experience in the group of candidates, that also includes Joe Espada and Bob Geren.

Showalter managed the New York Yankees between 1992 and 1995; the Arizona Diamondbacks from 1998 to 2000; the Texas Rangers from 2003 to 2006); and the Baltimore Orioles manager from 2010 to 2018. Showalter is also the preferred manager candidate of new Mets’ signing Max Scherzer.

The favorite for the Mets’ manager job could embrace analytics

Former Mets’ manager Terry Collins did say Showalter would be open to embracing analytics.

“I just know [Showalter] is so organized and with all the stuff available today, he is one of the guys who would use it all, sort it out and then make his decisions,” former Mets manager Terry Collins told The New York Post. “I know that he’s got great leadership in the clubhouse, he’s a no-nonsense guy — ‘The game is meant to be played a certain way and we’re going to go play it that way.’ And it might be time for that kind of attitude here.”

Per Joel Sherman, “the plan is to take what is currently six publicly known candidates who will all do the Zoom and whittle it down to 2-3 for face-to-face next week and potentially a decision.”

Mets: Scherzer’s preferred managerial candidate will interview on Wednesday

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Simeon Woods-Richardson

The New York Mets brought several quality players in the early part of the offseason: Starling Marte, Mark Canha, Eduardo Escobar, and Max Scherzer are some of them. They also hired a general manager in Billy Eppler.

The only thing missing for them to try and take on the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Marlins, and Washington Nationals on the NL East is a manager. Luis Rojas, a longtime worker of the Mets, was the skipper for the last two seasons, but didn’t work out and was not offered an extension. His contract expired and he joined the Yankees as a third base coach.

Since there is a lockout in place and MLB teams aren’t able to make transactions, trades, or free agent signings, the Mets’ only focus at the time is bringing a quality manager that helps them take the leap.

Buck Showalter, Joe Espada, Brad Ausmus, and a couple of other names are currently in the mix for the position. The Mets also asked permission to talk to other teams’ coaches, such as the Tampa Bay Rays’ Matt Quatraro.

A Mets’ star didn’t hide his preference for Showalter

However, one of the candidates has the blessing of new Mets’ star pitcher, Scherzer: Buck Showalter. According to multiple reports, Showalter is “seen as the favorite” for the Mets’ job and will have his interview with the club on Wednesday, December 8.

Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated reported on Tuesday that Scherzer, who signed a three-year, $130 million deal with the Mets a few days ago, prefers Buck Showalter to be the next manager.

Showalter has a career 1,551–1,517 record, with a .506 winning percentage as a skipper. He has managed the Yankees, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Texas Rangers, and the Baltimore Orioles. The last time he led an MLB team was 2018.

The experienced Showalter is a three-time Manager of the Year award winner, in 1994, 2004, and 2014.