Kudos, Carlos Mendoza! Here’s why.
It has been said that firing Buck Showalter was a mistake and David Stearns’ fault. Even if you disagree, doesn’t this make sense? Stearns should have handled the firing better by telling Showalter he wanted to work with a manager he was comfortable with. It’s his right as the incoming president of baseball operations, and Showalter would have understood even if he disagreed.
But that was then. Today, it’s hard to argue about Stearns’ managerial choice. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza has done a great job of steering his team to success in the 95 games he has managed.
Let’s put it this way. Mendoza has gotten more out of his team than Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell has with his team. Remember, Counsell was Stearns’ first choice until he decided he would rather manage in Chicago than deal with the pressure cooker in New York.
Managing or coaching in New York is not for people. We have seen coaches and managers such as Jeff Torborg, Mike D’Antoni, Art Howe, Don Nelson, Adam Gase, Todd Bowles, Ben McAdoo, Derek Fisher, David Fizdale, Jeff Hornacek, John Tortorella, Pat Shurmur, Mickey Callaway, Luis Rojas, among others, wilt in New York. You really have to be a special person to coach or manage in New York. It seems like that’s the case with Mendoza.
We knew Mendoza came highly recommended by people in the baseball industry. Everyone loved how he communicated with the players. There were testimonials about what a good teacher he is. He was also lauded for knowing how to use statistical analysis to help him manage during a game. However, recommendations can be meaningless if they are masqueraded as a favor to get someone a job.
But the truth in NY is that Mendoza has displayed managerial chops in his first season at the job. He always says the right things to the media before and after the game. He does a great job of taking the fans through the media about his thought process in the dugout and how he uses certain players. He does not come off as patronizing. He does not come off as a slick used car salesman.
And this may be the most impressive thing: Mendoza has held the team together a couple of times after it appeared it would go sideways for good this season. Here’s proof. Go back to June 2, when the Mets went 24-35. They played awfully by not hitting, fielding, or pitching. Players weren’t in sync, which inspired Francisco Lindor to hold a team meeting after the Dodgers swept the Mets on May 29. They had a pitcher in Jorge Lopez, who called out his teammates for not being good enough, and he was sent packing. The Mets responded by going 25-11 to start the All-Star break in a position to be in the wild-card playoffs at 49-46 as the third wild-card team.
You can credit the hitters, but it’s a credit to Mendoza that the hitters stayed the course and kept on working. They could have quit on him there if he had not held the team together. Also, go back to when the Mets started the season 0-5. It could have gone ugly then. But the team responded by winning 12 of their 15 games to go 12-8 on the season. Mendoza did not panic during that stretch. He talked about how he believed in his players, and they would keep playing through it.
How about when the bullpen blows games to the point where the Mets lose? It could be easy for the Mets manager to channel Carlos from Flushing and go off on his relievers. Instead, he says he trusts in his guys and will use them to put them in a position to succeed.
Mendoza comes off as so genuine when he talks to the players. He garners respect just by talking to his players, which fans sometimes overlook. His message gets to them by the team going 16-8 in June.
The Mets manager has shown that he can manage with his conviction. He came up with a brilliant idea to have Francisco Lindor hit leadoff, and it paid off as the Mets shortstop responded to a poor start by hitting. 299. He did even better by putting Brandon Nimmo to work behind Lindor as the No. 2 hitter. In 28 games batting second, Nimmo is slashing .312/.405/.624 (a 1.029 OPS) with nine homers and 31 RBIs.
Mendoza does a great job of using everyone on the 25-man roster, which puts them in a position to succeed. He knows when to put his bench players in the starting lineup by examining their numbers against a certain pitcher. He is also good at taking out relievers and starters when he has to.
The manager has an even-keeled approach to the job, which is necessary in New York. You will never see him flustered when the media asks him tough questions. He will answer rather than give a nonsensical or BS answer. That is not to say Mendoza is the next Davey Johnson or Gil Hodges. We are not even saying he is the next Bobby Valentine. But we can say he is neither Howe nor Aaron Boone.
Mendoza has shown he has the chops to manage, especially in this town. The results don’t lie.
He struggles to manage the bullpen and waits until damage is done to pull poor prrforming pitchers. When it counts I don’t trust his choices.