The Mets are promoting Eric Chavez from hitting coach to bench coach, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Glenn Sherlock, who’d served as bench coach during Buck Showalter’s first season at the helm, will remain on staff and work more closely with the team’s catchers. Meanwhile, Heyman reports that assistant hitting coach Jeremy Barnes is getting a bump to the lead hitting coach job to replace Chavez.
Chavez and Barnes were each new additions to New York’s staff last offseason. The former was initially slated to serve as assistant hitting coach with the Yankees, but he made the jump to the lead role in Queens just a couple weeks after joining the Yankees’ staff. His rapid ascent up the ranks continues with the nod as Showalter’s top lieutenant in year two.
A six-time Gold Glove winner during his playing days with the A’s, Chavez has spent some time in the front office and managed in the Angels’ farm system during his post-playing time. He’s drawn some big league managerial attention in the past, but the 2022 campaign was his first on an MLB coaching staff. The 44-year-old could certainly find his name in managerial searches during future offseasons.
Barnes had been the Mets’ director of player initiatives before getting the bump to the MLB staff last winter. The 35-year-old now gets a lead hitting instructor nod for the first time. A Notre Dame graduate, Barnes played in the Phillies farm system for four seasons. After his playing career wrapped up, he spent time in the Astros’ front office before joining the Mets. Heyman notes the Mets were concerned about the possibility of losing Barnes to a promotion with another team, presumably to fill a hitting coach vacancy elsewhere. New York valued him highly enough they bumped him to the lead role themselves.
Did not know Chavez had SIX GG’s….and did not know that Chavez was doing anything in the Halos farm system…
Chavez was insane fun to watch for a while… then the injuries came… and kept coming. Dude was a baller.
***and if you think these players didn’t take steroids, let me put something in perspective for you:
Not only are you saying these players played clean at All-Star levels, you’re saying they did it against the majority of the league that was cheating. Not likely. Baseball at the MLB is incredibly tough as it is, to play at a strength, speed and recovery disadvantage and still be an All-Star is very unlikely.
It’s very grey in terms of what the average fan believes. I go back to an interview with Mike Schmidt. He said many times he thought he should juice. At the end didn’t he says. But he said the reason was , so many others were juicing , other teams , guys on his team, he says , he felt that perhaps from a competitive perspective it wasn’t fair to his teammates if he was clean. Something they didn’t talk about. Each man on his own. But if he could hit another homer etc his team would be more competitive. It was like he almost felt a responsibility to keep up with his end of the bargain. Do what ever to win. Many guys he said he thinks felt that way. Very interesting
Chavez had 6 good seasons, he wasn’t putting up silly roid era numbers and be broke down super early. And there’s nothing linking him to it. Everyone isn’t a steroid user just cause you think the league is hard and everyone was doing it.
Ok Ryan, you make no sense. So everyone who played during that era was on steroids. You aren’t very bright, clearly
Pretty much everyone did. Eric Gagne said 80% of clubhouses he was in took them. Jose Canseco said the same – even as much as he lacks credibility, I don’t doubt it. Why wouldn’t you take them back then? Punishment was minimal, it’s the difference for a lot of guys staying in the league vs not, and it’s life changing $ and $ that sets your family up for decades and possibly generations to come.
Chavez ironically fell off a cliff in 2006, the first year stiffer drug testing was enforced after the initial 2003 implementing of testing was done. The 2003 version was a joke and Congress pressed MLB to make more strict punishments and more thorough testing. Google “MLB Steroid Testing Timeline,” and you’ll find everything you need to know.
Prior is a pitching savant. I acknowledge he has a deep team of coaches that work with him behind the scenes, (Connor McGuiness, Rob Hill, Josh Bard, etc.), but his track record as head pitching coach should speak for itself.
I saw him pitch for The Fullerton Flyers! Hurt arm and still throwing smoke! Looong time ago…
Saw this , for you Trumby, what u think lol
Trout to Astros ?
https://www.si.com/mlb/astros/opinions/mike-trout-trade-houston-astros-following-sale-los-angeles-angels
007, I’ll muster some words in a few mins and get back 2 U! I promise.
Just click bait. All spec. Sure gets angel fans mad hahaha
007, I think Trout loves living and playing in Anaheim too much to ever leave. That would be the most relative thing for me to say. He loves the weather and is a weather fanatic..He has a Newport Beach Mansion overlooking the Ocean..He is treated like royalty. I don’t ever see him leaving. I see him retiring within the next 1-3 years though. Just because he wants to spend time with his family.
That’s interesting thought regarding retirement, think Win a Ring and he says see ya ?
Wonder if Shohei knows that too. ?
007, A lot of people wouldn’t agree with me and that is fine. Trout has been through a lot of stuff and I don’t think he wants to get so worn down he doesn’t enjoy playing anymore. Deep down I don’t see him playing for 5 more years though. As far as Shohei, I would imagine Trout wouldn’t hide that from him if that’s what he felt.
The idea that the Astros (or any team acquiring Trout) would have to give up anything to get him is amusing, anyway. I’ll give SI that.
What’s he have left, 8/$297m? That’s Judge money. The real question is, would the Angels have to sweeten the pot to move Trout?
He’d be the first ballplayer to walk away from $200m-plus, or anything close to it.
Uhm can we get some real baseball news. Are the Mets signing deGrom or what?
@Lemonade24 They’re fools if they do.
Assume arguendo a $300 million payroll. They’re already up to $226 for the CBT purposes, by Roster Resource. They don’t have a pitching staff, a bullpen, or a CFer, so they’ll be betting more than half their remaining, discretionary payroll on a guy who hasn’t beaten 92 innings since 2019. Granted 2020 was abbreviated, but it’s also the third year he wasn’t stretched out.
Any year deGrom doesn’t give them close to a full season is a year they’re out of it. Any year he gives them close to a full season but at his 2022 ERA is a year they won’t make it.
The Scherzer signing left them short of pitching at the end, as more than a few of us predicted.
The Lindor trade and signing left them in 2022 six wins and $30 million short of where they would have been had they moved to fill actual positions of need, as more than a few of us predicted.
Do they really think doing this nonsense one more time is going to finally pay off? Maybe, but they shouldn’t.
Why are you assuming a $300 million payroll? Who says they won’t exceed that? And how did the Scherzer signing leave them short of pitching? Their pitchers may have come up short in the playoffs but How were they short of pitching?