By Jordan Long
The lockout is still going on in Major League Baseball. There is no word when Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Union will meet again. This didn’t stop the New York Mets from hiring a new Manager. It came as no surprise that they hired Buck Showalter as their new Manager. The financial terms and the length of the contract haven’t been announced.
The New York Mets managerial vacancy had been open since the Mets let go of Luis Rojas. He had a club option for 2022. New York decided to decline to exercise that option, basically firing him. Rojas served 2 seasons in the “Big Apple”. In the COVID shortened season, the Mets went 26-34, missing the postseason. This year, the Mets thought they had a roster that could earn a playoff berth. Unfortunately, they ended the year with a record of 20-31 which cost them the postseason. New York finished at 77-85.
The Mets decided Rojas wasn’t the man for the job. He ended his tenure for New York at 103-119, a winning percentage of .464. Once they started to interview for the opening, the Mets cut their list to 3 names who were finalists for the job. Besides Showalter, the other names were Tampa Bay’s Bench Coach Matt Quatraro and Huston Astros’ Bench Coach Joe Espada. In the end, they picked Showalter. Showalter was the only name who had managerial experience.
Showalter brings in 20 years of managerial familiarity to the Mets. He managed the New York Yankees from 1992 to 1995. Showalter was the first manager in Arizona Diamondbacks’ history lasting from 1998 to 2000. From there his next stop was Texas but it was only 4 years. The longest time Showalter spent with a franchise was Baltimore. He was there for 9 seasons, starting in 2010, his last stop before landing with the Mets. He was let go after the 2018 season when Baltimore completed a dismal 47-115 record. Overall as a manager, Showalter is 1,551-1517, a winning percentage of .506. His teams earned a playoff spot 5 times but Showalter has never won a World Series.
Showalter is anticipating turning the Mets around. He has the knowledge to do so. New York hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016. They were knocked off in the Wild Card game by the San Francisco Giants. They were shutout 3-0. The Mets haven’t won the World Series since 1986. Showalter would love to end that drought. The Mets will give him a few years to do so. If the Mets aren’t competitive, he will be gone. For now, Showalter seems like the right choice.
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