PRESS RELEASE: METS NAME BUCK SHOWALTER MANAGER

 

METS NAME BUCK SHOWALTER MANAGER

 

FLUSHING, N.Y., December 20, 2021 – The New York Mets today announced that they have named Buck Showalter the 24^th manager in team history, agreeing to terms on a three-year contract. Showalter will wear #11.

 

“Buck has been one of the best baseball minds for the last two decades and he makes teams better,” said Chairman, CEO and Owner Steve Cohen. “We have a lot of talent on this team and Buck is the right manager to take us to the next level and lead us to sustained success. I am excited he is our new manager.”

 

Showalter, 65, has 20 years of managerial experience in the major leagues, owning a lifetime record of 1,551-1,517 (.506). He is a three-time Manager of the Year award winner, earning the honors in 1994, 2004 and 2014. Showalter’s 1,551 career wins rank 24th all-time in MLB history and the 3,069 games managed rank 21^st in the majors. He has guided three of the four teams he’s managed to the postseason and been to the playoffs a total of five times. As the manager of the Yankees, Showalter ended a 14-year playoff drought, took Baltimore to the postseason after previously missing the playoffs for 15 years and led Arizona to the postseason in just their second year of existence.

 

“I’d like to thank Steve and Alex Cohen, Sandy and Billy for their confidence in me to lead this team,” said Showalter. “This is a tremendous opportunity and a great responsibility to represent this organization, all Mets fans and this city. I’m energized and eager to get started.” 

 

“This has been an extremely thorough process and I am delighted that Buck will be the next manger to lead the Mets,” said President Sandy Alderson. “He is dedicated and experienced, which are two key qualities we were seeking in the next leader of this team.”

 

“This is a significant day for the organization,” said General Manager Billy Eppler. “Buck is one of the most experienced and accomplished managers in the game. He is the perfect baseball mind to lead this team and usher in the next era of Mets baseball. I look forward to working closely with him in the years to come.”

 

He began his managerial career with the New York Yankees in 1992 and remained through 1995. He would go on to become the first manager in the history of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was hired in 1996, two years before the Diamondbacks started playing so he could impact the organization. In 1999, Arizona went 100-62, marking the fastest expansion team in major league history to win a division title. Showalter managed the Texas Rangers from 2003-06 and most recently the Baltimore Orioles from 2010-18. Showalter has also previously worked for MLB Network, YES and ESPN.

 

Showalter will become the fifth manager to manage both the Mets and Yankees, joining Casey Stengel, Yogi Berra, Dallas Green and Joe Torre.

 

The DeFuniak Springs, FL native was originally drafted by the Yankees in the fifth round of the 1977 Draft. He spent seven years in the minor leagues before he retired as a player. He would manage five seasons in the Yankees’ minor league system before joining the organizations major league coaching staff in 1990.

 

In 1976, Showalter played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Hyannis Mets where he won the batting title with a .434 mark and was named the league MVP. In 2002, Showalter was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame.

 

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