Author: Frank Caggino
The New York Mets hiring of Buck Showalter as their next manager got positive reviews across all of baseball. However, the Mets still have multiple vacancies on their coaching staff. One of the most glaring ones, is bench coach. While the bench coach does not have an impact on wins and losses, this is still an important decision for the team to make. The Mets are in a unique position since they hired an older manager, they are going to need another new manager in the not too distant future. This is a perfect opportunity for a candidate that is young and does not have any coaching experience.
There were some Mets fans that wanted Carlos Beltran as the manager after Luis Rojas’ team option was declined. As the search went on, fans wanted a manager with experience and credibility which made Showalter the best candidate. The Mets could not take the risk of hiring a third straight rookie manager. Former players such as Mark Texiera have talked about how Buck is one of the smartest coaches in all of baseball. It would be great for Beltran to learn from someone with as much knowledge as Showalter. Carlos can still help some of the Mets players without being the manager.
The player that can benefit the most from having Beltran in the dugout on a daily basis, is Francisco Lindor. Obviously Lindor’s first season as a Met was disappointing, since he did not put up the same offensive numbers he did in Cleveland. The most frustrating part of Lindor’s season was that he showed flashes of the player the Mets traded for. His three home runs in an important national television game against the Yankees showed that Francisco still has the talent. Most of his struggles were mental and at multiple times during the season, mentioned how being booed affected him. Playing in New York is very different than playing in Cleveland and Lindor could use someone that can relate to him to help with his struggles. Beltran is very relatable since both players are switch hitters, Puerto Rican, and great players before arriving with the Mets. Carlos can talk to him about playing in New York and help get him back to the player he used to be. If somehow Lindor can perform close to the player he was before the Mets, it would make a huge difference. Lindor is not the only player Beltran can relate to.
There are several Spanish speaking players on the Mets. Beltran speaks Spanish fluently and can be able to communicate with all these players on a daily basis. If the Mets do not want to have clubhouse issues again, the coaches and players need to communicate better. Adam Jones played for Showalter for years and said that fights on the team would not happen with him in the dugout. Buck would be able to keep the team under control, but he will not be the manager for that many years.
Even if Buck Showalter does an amazing job with the Mets, he will not be the manager for 15 years no matter how well he does. When he retires, the Mets will have to find a new manager again. It would be ideal if the Mets had the answer immediately and can promote Carlos Beltran. By the time Buck does retire, Beltran will have learned under Showalter for years and will be much more equipped to be the manager. Alex Cora has done a great job as a manager for the Red Sox and his coaching experience was as a bench coach. If the Mets can have two straight good managers, they may finally have sustained success which is what all Mets fans dream of.
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