Craig Mitchell -- The Curious Case of Terry Collins

I try. I really try to “get” Terry Collins. I just don’t understand the man.  Terry Collins came to the Met with very little success in his previous managerial jobs.  In three years with the Astros he managed a .532 winning percentage, with the Angels a .481 and with the Mets a .465.  Collins did not come to the Mets with accolades or with any titles. But Sandy Alderson and the Mets ownership picked him for a reason. He has

been with the team since 2011, and I still can’t figure out why he was the best choice.

Collins has shown that he is not a great field tactician. You rarely see the Mets hit and run or pull off a squeeze play in a tight situation.  He does seem very adept at juggling line-ups. He is also very keen on sitting a player who is on a hot streak, thus cooling him down.

This is all familiar territory I have discussed before. At the beginning of this season I found that the random sampling of Met fans I came in contact with were split down the middle about Collins. Some thought that he was just fine, others, felt like I did, that the Mets could benefit from a better leader.  I’m not even sure if the fact that TC has not won anything is the reason. There are plenty of untried managers who are successful. Take Joe Torre. While not totally untried before coming to the Yankees, he had not won anything except for a few division titles with Atlanta before 1996. He was just inducted into the Hall of Fame and I still see people saying that Torre wasn’t responsible for the Yankees success in the late 90’s.  They say anyone could have managed that team to greatness. I totally and wholeheartedly disagree.

A good manager has to do many things well. You have 25 talents to manage, not counting up and coming talent in the high minors. You have to get the most out of your rosters talents while at the same time keep their egos in check and also keep your bench players ready and happy. Then you have to set up a rotation and a bullpen strategy that jives with the arms you have and then deal with injuries, slumps, trades and what not.  Plus you have coaches input you need to heed and get them all in line with your way of thinking.  You have ownership to please and of course you add in your in game strategy, your aggressiveness on the field and on the bases. A team very much takes on the personality of its manager. It’s the way it is. It has to.  What I’m saying is, the Yankees of the late 90’s would have been a much different team without Torre.  The same goes for the Mets and Terry Collins.

Therefore, you can definitely see that Collins imprint is somewhat unsettled. His most glaring weakness

concerns his undying (and some say undeserved) faith in veterans like Chris Young and Ruben Tejada.  Chris Young has a roster spot and opportunities that might be better off going to a Kirk Nieuwenhuis or a Matt den Dekker. It took nearly a quarter of season to figure out that Juan Lagares should be his starting centerfielder when it really should have been a foregone conclusion. Tejada continues to start and struggle at the plate when Wilmer Flores has regularly torn up AAA. While Flores still hasn’t lit the Majors on fire, he has never been given any consistent playing time to see what he brings to the table.  At the very least it must be better than what Tejada offers, but Collins won’t let that play out.

Last week prior to Tuesday’s game with the Phillies a reporter asked Collins why Flores wasn't starting. His answer was “Because he (Tejada) has been playing really well.”  When the reporter followed up by saying

“He’s 3 for 29” Collins then (defensively) said that Flores was here in case Tejada couldn't play because of his recent beaning. He was NOT there to play every day. This is where Collins loses me (and infuriates me.) The Mets just came back from a road trip where they struggled to score 3 runs a game. In the lineup there is Tejada batting .103 over that period of time and a 22 year old top prospect who was batting .323 in AAA. Collins stated “We've been playing pretty good.”  True enough, 13-9 isn't bad. But if you add some offense that 13-9 could be 17-5. What is Collins thinking? Who doesn't want to be better?

I am sitting here typing this totally perplexed. What is Collins thought process? Perhaps he values Tejada’s defense more than the lack of offense he provides? Perhaps he resents the fan sentiment to play Flores.  Surprisingly, it may be the latter.  Collins has stated earlier this year that he refuses to manage for the fans. He manages for himself.  Which is fine, but, why would he refuse to see how Flores can help the team. He’s 22. He’s proven his bat is ready. Shortstop is waiting for a upgrade. Do it! Let’s see what he can provide. 

As I’m writing this, I’m watching Ruben Tejada go 3 for 4 against the Phillies. That is terrific, but also, for today, supports Collins choice of staying with Tejada.  The 3 for 4 performance raises Tejada’s batting average to a whopping .234. Bottom line, on a team struggling for offense, do you find a way to get a rookie whose done nothing but hit a chance to prove what he can add? If the answer is no, then send Flores down and then trade him before you destroy his trade value because right now, the Mets are telling every other team that has an interest in Flores that they value a lifetime .253 hitter with no power or speed over a top prospect. Flores should be given at least 2 solid weeks to hit himself OUT of the line-up.  But what other inference can be taken from Collins words and actions except he is satisfied and happy with Tejada’s production.  What does that say about Collins and his expectations? What does it say about the Mets? It tells me his perception is skewed. Therein lies the rub.

In my humble opinion, Collins main flaw is inconsistency and contradictory reactions. I know I’ve aired this before and I feel like a broken record.  But I say it over and over again. Collins is NOT the man to lead this team. However, there are two very specific instances where Collins apparently has been proven right.

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1  1)  After the Mets traded Ike Davis, Collins batted Lucas Duda in the lower third of the line-up for weeks.  He stated at the time he didn’t want to rush Duda in to a line-up slot he wasn’t ready for. At the time I thought it was utter nonsense. Now eight weeks later Duda is the power source they wanted him to be. Did Collins nursing him along help promote that or retard that development? We’ll never know, but since it’s only fair that Collins be judged on results I’ll give him that one.

    

      2)   Collins took a lot of heat early on with the bullpen. But, lo and behold, Collins and Dan Warthan have shipped off the likes of Kyle Farnsworth and Jose Valverde and the Mets now have one of the best bullpens in the NL and no team wants to be trailing the Mets after 7 innings or face Black, Edgin, Familia or Meiia. Restructuring a bullpen mid-season is very hard to do. I must assume Collins was a part of that. So Kudos once again.

My main displeasure with Collins stems from his “palms up” attitude whenever he’s put on the spot. His reaction to the “Flores at short” question was handled like an insult, like it was questioning his ability to judge talent. Frankly, if he did take it that way, then he does have a major problem in judging the talent of the team he leads. The discussion has now come full circle.

Recently the Mets have been rumored to be a good match for Troy Tulowitzki. But in order to get him the Mets will obviously have to give up a ton. Starting Flores at short for two or three weeks in the middle of a .500 season can do virtual no harm.  It can show the Mets what kind offensive weapon they may have in Flores. Thereby allowing them to feel more confident in standing pat or may prove the need to pull the trigger on a big deal to get a short stop.  Collins is treating Tejada like he’s the key defensive piece in infield that’s bound for the World Series.  He may be akin to what Rafeal Santana was to the 1986 Mets (Santana batted .218 and provided terrific defense), but today's Mets don’t have the production of the 86 team. A bat is sorely needed at short.

Frankly, I doubt that Flores is the answer the Mets are waiting for at short. But, on a team starved for offense I fail to see why he is not given a shot. Even on the 86 team when the Mets needed punch Kevin Mitchell or Howard Johnson would start at short . As I said before, these Mets are not the 86 Mets.  I guess that’s the bottom line. But also, Terry Collins is no Davey Johnson either.