With “Cab” Callaway now in hand, the attention turns
to whom the organization should contact to fill out the remainder of the
staff. As I’ve suggested already, it
would behoove the Mets to consider a right hand man as bench coach who is
bilingual in order to help connect with many of the players. Towards that end, there’s one guy I’d
certainly like to see them target but his resume might be a bit light for their
liking – the Tampa Bay Rays’ 3rd base coach, Charlie Montoyo.
For whatever reasons, the Mets did not reach out to
Montoyo as a potential managerial candidate despite his stellar
reputation. He had previously
interviewed for the Seattle Mariners managerial vacancy and was considered for
the Rays post as well. His minor league
career as a manager is indeed impressive.
Leading the AAA Durham Bulls from 2007 to 2014 he posted only a single losing season while winning his division 7 times in 8 years. He twice won the International League Manager of the Year Award. He’s been inducted into the International
League Hall of Fame and had his number retired by the Durham Bulls.
Bulls GM Mike Birling said of Montoyo, “Charlie will always have a very special place in Durham
Bulls history, What he accomplished on the field speaks for itself, but it was
the relationships he formed off the field – with fans, the front office, players
and coaches – that separates him from so many. We’re extremely happy to honor
him by retiring his jersey.”
While he may not have major league managerial
experience on his resume, having been at the helm successfully for 7 years with
that kind of track record suggests he has enough in his background to help
Callaway transition to his broader responsibilities. As a 3rd base coach, the upgrade
to bench coach might be appealing and it would address the need for a bilingual
member of the management team.
1 comment:
Reese- I like Montoyo, but I really like Alomar Jr for that role. I think the fact that he could help with our young catchers AND is bilingual is a huge plus, and he's also been one of those guys "on the cusp" of being a manager so it would probably help get him over that hump, too. One name to look out for is Mark DeRosa, who was a quiet managerial candidate. He REALLY knows the game, and I had a great convo with him last year at the All-Star Fest and he really wants to come to NYC. Any combo of those 2 guys would be amazing- maybe Alomar as bench coach/catching instructor and DeRosa as first base coach/INF instructor!!!
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