It continues to look likely that the Mets’ next manager will come from within the organization. They’re deciding among a trio of in-house candidates – quality control coach Luis Rojas, bench coach Hensley Meulens and first base coach Tony DeFrancesco – for the position, Andy Martino of SNY tweets.
Rojas and DeFrancesco were also candidates for the Mets during their previous search for a manager this offseason. That concluded with the hiring of first-timer Carlos Beltran in November, but his reign came to an abrupt end when he stepped down last week over his role in the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal.
Like Beltran, neither Rojas nor Meulens has managed in the majors. The 38-year-old Rojas is the son of longtime skipper Felipe Alou, though, and has managed for the Mets at the High-A and Double-A levels. He’s coming off his first season on the team’s major league staff.
Meulens and DeFrancesco are new to their current positions in New York, though the former has a boatload of recent MLB experience as an assistant. The 53-year-old Meulens spent the previous decade as a key member of San Francisco’s staff under Bruce Bochy, coaching first base for eight years and serving as a bench coach for two.
DeFrancesco, 56, has been a Triple-A manager with multiple franchises, including the Mets from 2018-19. He was also the interim manager for the Astros in 2012.
Why wouldn’t they just offer the job to the #2 candidate from when they hired Beltran?
Because I think their #2 option was Girardi lol
Pretty sure it was Perez.
I thought it was Perez as well
Girardi signed with the Phillies a week before Beltran did, so I imagine they had a Beltran backup option when they made that decision.
Unlikely. Managers like Girardi (and Showalter too) are “old school” managers, meaning they make the final decisions. They’ll take input from the analytics team, but they’ll still make the final calls. Someone like BVM would not be comfortable with a field general like Girardi. He’ll pick someone he can control. That’s not Girardi, and certainly not Showalter, who wasn’t afraid to tell George Steinbrenner off, so he certainly won’t respect BVM all that much.
It’s not about “someone he can control” it’s about partnerships. Teams are looking for managers who will partner with the analytics staff and other front office coaches — like the role Luis Rojas filled last season.
Do you know who still owns the mets…? The Wilpons are all about control and meddling in day to day operations. It is *all* about control with them….that and their ridiculous obsession with the NY Media and NY Yankees. Cohen cannot take over majority ownership fast enough.
Because this situation is very different from back in November. Although, these three candidates make zero sense for the situation they’re in now. Why would you throw a rookie manager into this situation? With little to no time to prep for even Spring Training, let alone the season, they’re setting the manager up for failure. The Mets continue to make puzzling personnel decisions.
nah itll be fine. These 3 have been with the team since December prepping. Any of the 3 will do fine. Rojas makes the most sense.
I was thinking the same thing and the only conclusion I could come up with is “it’s the Mets.”
Wow that was original.
Fans continue to make puzzling comments. Yes it is different now than November. That’s why an internal candidate who knows the personnel already makes sense. Terry Collins will likely be in St. Lucie regardless to help the new manager plan the structure of ST.
It might be easier to go with someone already on the coaching staff at this point
I hope Muelens gets it. He deserves a shot.
Muelens was the hitting instructor before bench coach, not first base coach. I believe he may have coached in the minors and for sure in baseball classic.
it’s only to save money!
The external options for the job are really not that impressive. I’d happily take Rojas or Muelens over any of the veteran managers,
Meulins never coached first base. He was the batting coach then spent the two years as bench coach…fyi
If Bam Bam wasn’t a good clubhouse presence then the Giants wouldn’t have kept him as a bench coach even with years of being a terrible hitting coach. He wouldn’t be getting all these interviews, and wouldn’t have managed the Netherlands WBC team. It’s about time this man gets the big job. He really deserves it and I’m sure he’ll do a fine job.
You had me at Netherlands.
My personal preference is still Rojas, but my hunch is that Muelens will get it given how the FO is apparently not keen on hiring a candidate who they turned down in favor of Beltran.
Wally Backman
Wally Backman is on trial for shoving his girlfriend. He was in court yesterday.
Really? Jeez, Backman is a screw up.
really now. i suggested him as well before knowing all the off field stuff. if the man could keep his head screwed on he’d already be managing in the Majors, but he’s set on being baseball’s AB.
Both the Mets and Yankees have welcomed domestic violence perpetrators into their club houses (e.g. Reyes. Familia, German, Chapman), but I think the Astros still have the inside track on Backman. The Astros have recently demonstrated having ZERO morals or convictions about anything involving their team. I’m surprised they haven’t traded for Odubel Herrera yet.
Bartolo- Felipe Vasquez is available
If you want to go there…why not just call Lenny Dykstra…lol
Ray Knight
Ray Lopez
Ray Charles
Ray J
Ray Donovan
Donovan Solano
Ray Lewis
Ray Liotta
The bench coach would already be planning spring training. In fact, those guys often coordinate more of that time frame than the manager.
At this point in time, go that direction.
Yea is not the bench coach the managers right hand man? 2nd in command?
Edgardo Alfonzo. The only manager from their minor league system to win a league championship this past year. Unfortunately, BVW let him go since he “didn’t fit in their plans.” That seems ridiculous. The guys would respect him.
The Giants won 3 World Championships with Meulens as their hitting coach.. He was never their 1st base coach.
They’ll go with someone either new, meaning someone who either hasn’t managed yet in the majors, or someone who has but is desperate to get back and will agree to BVM’s rules simply to get the chance to manage again. No one with a backbone who will push back will get the job.
Hensley Meulens was never the first base coach for the Giants. He served as the hitting coach and later on the bench coach.
So they screwed up the search the first time by not going after Showalter or Baker and in typical New York Mets fashion they are going to screw it up a second time as well. It is reasons like this why this franchise will always be the step child of the New York Yankees.
This is the reason why Jeter doesn’t deserve to be unanimous lol.
True, though you also need to consider that the HOF let in Tim Raines, so just because Jeets is average in regard to his numbers for the Hall….at least he actually belongs there. That said, Jeets is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar from a guy who deserves to go in unanimously. His defense was sub-par (look at the stats!), but he is part of the Yankee lore, so statistics and facts don’t matter to Yankee fans.
Dewey, Cheatum and Howe
Oh god, I loved those guys……..
I’m gonna guess Meulens gets the job.
Its making me real surprised that no one has mentioned Ron Washington. He’s a class act dude with managerial experience that’s just one of the all time great baseball dudes of all time IMO. He’s been great working with our infielders, and would greatly miss him if he left
He’s also a bit of a moron.
Glass houses stones etc., Monty
Maybe the confirmed drug use by Washington?
Class act? What about the cocaine baggage?
He may get a manager job again but I think that the 3 teams looking now are looking to clean up prior messes. Timing to bring in someone like Washington that will just lead to questions and stories about the drug use probably would be a distraction no one wants at this late date.
Its making me real surprised that no one has mentioned Ron Washington. He’s a class act dude with managerial experience that’s just one of the all time great baseball dudes of all time IMO. He’s been great working with our infielders, and would greatly miss him if he left
while I think Meulens is a bit overhyped, he does seem like a good manager candidate
How does an Alou sire a Rojas? Guess we know that Mel Rojas (senor Matchlight) wore the pants in that relationship.
“It was in the Nationals’ farm system — after previous stints playing in the minors with the Orioles and Marlins — that Rojas said he was asked to conform with his birth certificate and change his name from Luis Alou to Luis Rojas. The family name is Rojas, but his father, brother and uncles used Alou, the surname of Luis Rojas’ paternal grandmother.”
nypost.com/2019/04/09/mets-have-a-member-of-baseba…
Thanks for the insight Cat Mando
If it’s between these three guys, I’d like to see Muelens get the job. Experience in a dugout, learned under Bochy, seems to be respected
I have been a proponent of Tony DeFrancesco since the beginning of the interview process. He is a local guy, born in the Bronx, caught for Seton Hall university and in the Res Sox farm system, has managed at the AAA level for 18 years in the A’s System ( at the beginning of analytics ….Billy Ball) in the Astros system ( again with their change over to analytics) and the last two years at Cegas and Syracuse
VEGAS, not Cegas. Sorry
Well argued case, rule-5.
I’m also old enough to have seen Tony catch for my hometown New Britain (AA) Red Sox, so there’s an added nostalgia angle for me to each “Tony D” mention.
And through all of that, has an overall AAA managerial record winning percentage of .565.
I think he has boatloads of managerial experience and has managed Jeff McNeil, And Pete Alonso already. Why doesnt someone ask them about his skills as Manager?
Interesting fit for the Mets. Thanks for the insight.
They screwed up when they didn’t hire Girardi, after that I wish that they hired an ASS kicker like Showalter or at least someone with experience
Girardi was the right hire, but of course the Mets let him walk bc they can’t help but make the wrong decision for the wrong reasons.
I’d like to see them reward DeFrancesco for all his years spent developing their young players. He knows them and they know him. Allow he and a Meulens to form a managing team with Rojas as the third head. Give all three very specific job details so none become overwhelmed trying to learn ever detail all at once. Whichever person has the best people skills needs to wear the true manager cap, but all three could form a great team if they work together. In this instance, ‘Manager’ may only need to be a title. Pull all three into the office and lay it out as stated above so they are all on the same page. This way all three get their opportunity to learn and let’s see who has what it takes. Worst case scenario, the outsider with zero manager experience leaves and one if the other two returns to the minors to manage with even more experience.
Paul E. Dangerously
Jim Cornette
Seven manager could manage that team at once and they’ll still lose year after year.
Doesn’t matter who they hire, the new manager & Brodie are Jeff Wilpon’s puppets. Jeffy boy calls all the shots & has no idea what he’s doing. Brodie just does his bidding. Steve Cohen can’t become owner fast enough.