Fans and media are trying to out-gush one another with the joint Steve Cohen/Sandy Alderson press conference yesterday. He said all of the things people have wanted to hear for many, many years. Owner Cohen sounded more like a fan and less like a person whose only interest was in profitability margins and ruminations about how spending money on "value" picks was an intelligent way of building for the future. He spoke about the need to build a team, spend when necessary and, more importantly, not just throwing money down a rat hole but to invest it properly. Wow, it was as if the December holidays arrived early with a special message from some kind of guardian angel.
However, almost buried under all of the accolades came the tidbit from Sandy that Luis Rojas is likely coming back for round two in 2021. That announcement didn't get the attention it probably deserved, didn't generate the cheers or moans one might have expected, nor did anyone over obsess over the word "likely" which suggests that the door is not completely open.
So what does Luis Rojas mean for the Mets going forward?
Well, to be fair, his hiring under duress after the Carlos Beltran debacle put him immediately behind the eight ball. He didn't have the proper time to prepare properly for the upcoming season. Furthermore, the coronavirus pandemic shutting down traditional Spring Training pushed him further behind by not getting to see players perform in person in game situations as would normally have happened.
Many people were quick to dismiss Rojas as a rookie who was in over his head. I always found that evaluation laughable, just as I remember the now-named Manager of the Year Don Mattingly disparaged across the board by most fans and media alike. They forget how many years of minor league managerial experience is on his resume, not to mention the major league in-the-dugout preparation he had which most managerial candidates from outside do not have the advantage of enjoying.
Now to evaluate the job done by Rojas in 2020 is a mixed bag. No one ever played a 60-game season with players and coaches missing due to COVID-19 infections, players walking out of camp in mid-season and never before having a traditional minor league group of resources. How many no-name players were added to the taxi squad while legitimate talents like Eduardo Nunez, Jake Marisnick, Hunter Strickland and Brian Dozier were virtually invisible while hardly household names who were scrapheap pickups like Erasmo Ramirez, Miguel Castro, Ryan Cordell and Ariel Jurado formed the replacement core?
Given a full season of analysis and preparation time, it would seem fair to give Luis Rojas a second chance rather than adding to the hiring frenzy in the front office. Let Sandy Alderson and his associates figure out who will most help the team going forward, including a lengthier evaluation of Rojas. After all, how much time did Mickey Callaway get (with a winning record, I might add)? Or if you want a more painful comparison, how long was the perpetually unhired "experienced hand" of Terry Collins able to cash NY Mets paychecks while losing more games than any other Mets manager?
No, give Rojas a proper roster to compete for the pennant. Get him intelligent front office personnel and analysts to evaluate on a basis other than salary alone when making personnel decisions. Get him people to back up the starters who themselves are capable of starting on the Mets or any other team. Get him some pitching to begin and end games. Then after all of those things have been done, make a longer term decision about whether or not Rojas is the right fit for the job. Don't make knee-jerk terminations without sufficient data.
11 comments:
Hopefully he gets a normal 162 game season to judge him on. I would keep him around and let him see what he can do.
I liked how Luis trued ti get better defensive players like Gimenez and Guillorme more often. Think he coukd use a bwtter bench coach.
One telling comment from yesterday was Cohen saying that he doesn't like people learning on his dime.
Loved Cohen press conference however bringing back Luis does go against one of his statements....
There is no learning on his dime
Not that’s I am rooting against Luis but this should mean we should expect an experienced manager
I agree. Unlike Beltran, Rojas has a lot of managerial background, and he managed to keep the respect of his team while not being afraid to make moves such as moving Camo down in the order. I think he deserves another shot with a better roster
How about Senor Alfonso?
Rojas IS experienced. 60 major league games, years of managing in the minors.
Will he be ready to manage in the 2021 playoffs? He'll have 220 games by then - EXPERIENCED.
Is he the BEST that Sandy could get? You tell me.
I have 2 wishes for you, Reese:
1) Stay safe as this awful virus is raging through the West Texas town of El Paso.
2) Hopefully, a COVID vaccine will be developed to keep you safe AND cure your Terryphobia. 👍
I was never afraid of Terry. Ashamed, yes. Embarrassed, yes. Angered, yes. Dumbfounded, yes. But he didn't inspire fear any more than he inspired winning.
Eddie, he also said he wants to develop from within (that you cant just buy and bring in everyone from the outside) which is what the Mets did with Rojas. I consider this a different type of learning than what Cohen was referring to as well. BVW had to do A LOT of learning, he had some background as an agent but he certainly had a lot more to learn about the process. As much as I want to hate on BVW I think it was probably difficult for any GM under the Wilpons to make the best and right decisions with the constraints they had. He probably had to make the risky go for it solutions that mortgaged the future to keep his job or to get it.
Also Eddie, how did the Phillies make out with Harper and Girardi? I don't think managers have as big as an influence over the wins/losses as people think anymore but I don't think the Mets need some old guard manager like Girardi.
I loved that Rojas was malleable with the lineups. He pushed slumping batters down the lineup and played guys like Gimenez over Rosario. I want a manager that will react to the current circumstances and not bat guys like Cano 3rd like Mickey did when he was horribly slumping and other guys were raking.
If Terry had won the 2015 World Series, he'd be better perceived.
He blew the Harvey game.
As I saw it, he should have left Harvey in and encouraged him to finish strong, one batter at a time, with the pen ready. Harvey was rolling.
When he said no to Matt, Harvey got amped up and agitated arguing his case, and off his game. It affected him when he was allowed to stay in, in the 9th. Very distracted.
Once Terry said no, which I believe was the wrong call, I would have stayed with no.
That mistake cost them the series.
Yet, years after he left, you can't stop bringing him up.
I bet he did some unspeakably horrible things to your dogs. 🐕
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