Mets Fulfill Manager Role With Hiring of Buck Showalter
Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
Even though we are still locked out, a move has been made in baseball. A pretty significant one, too.
Announced Saturday afternoon by team owner Steven Cohen was the New York Mets hiring of Buck Showalter. Jon Heyman later shared that it’s a three-year deal, which according to Mike Puma is believed to exceed Art Howe‘s four-year $9.4 million contract as the largest for a manager in team history.
Showalter previously managed for the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, and most recently the Baltimore Orioles. He was successful in the O’s organization, but was let go following a rough two years in 2018. Overall, he has a 1,551 – 1,517 record as a skipper.
Earlier in his career, he started off as a very talented college player and eventually found himself playing professionally. Once he retired, he got into managing starting at the single-A level. He rose through the minor leagues and eventually surfaced as a major league manager in 1990.
Showalter has won the Manager of the Year award three times as well as leading five teams to the playoffs. The most successful team he managed was the 2014 Orioles in which he led to the ALCS.
Now, he is replacing Luis Rojas as Mets manager and hopes to get an underachieving-Mets franchise on the uphill trend. By no means was Rojas horrendous, but he certainly did not meet the expectations. The Mets 2021 team was very talented and one of the most feared squads heading into the season. Although, all it took were some injuries and some questionable decisions from Rojas to land the Mets in third place in the East.
For Phillies fans, the true big question is what his impact will be on their team. Showalter is a winning manager with strong history. Now, the same was said about Joe Girardi, and he has not made much of an impact in the Phillies organization yet. This will be more of a wait-and-see situation for Buck Showalter and his success in New York. But, the Phillies should prepare themselves because the Mets are going to be strong this 2022 season.
