NY Mets: 4 experienced managers to consider hiring for 2022

Buck Showalter

One of the most experienced of the available options for the New York Mets, the former 3-time AL Manager of the Year Buck Showalter may be one of the club’s best candidates to take the reigns as manager heading into the 2022 season.

Showalter has 20 years of experience managing teams in the MLB, beginning his career with the New York Yankees in 1992 before moving onto the Arizona Diamondbacks from 1998 – 2000, the Texas Rangers from 2003-2006 and most recently, the Baltimore Orioles from 2010 – 2018.

Over his 20 year career in the MLB, Showalter has managed a grand total of 3069 games across the aforementioned 4 teams, winning 1551 of them, averaging out to a winning percentage of .506 for his career.

While that winning record may not initially seem very high, what is more important is the context of the teams he managed. In the case of the Yankees, Rangers and Orioles, Showalter inherited the teams coming off the back of losing seasons, but managed to turn them all around, leading them to winning records and playoff contention within his first 2 full seasons with each club.

In the case of the Diamondbacks, Showalter was their first manager after they were brought into the league as an expansion team, initially comprised of players acquired via an expansion draft. Despite this, after a rough first year, Buck lead them to a record of 100-62 in 1999, turning them from a band of misfits to serious World Series contenders in just 2 years.

Showalter has always had a reputation of being an old school manager, in addition to being brash and not afraid to get into a fight with both umpires and ownership, but one thing is undisputed. The man knows how to build teams and get the most out of his players.

Throughout his career, Showalter has created contenders out of last place teams, he has experience managing in the playoffs and is more than familiar with the New York market, dealing with the pressure from both the media and the fan’s high expectations.

Based on how this team has performed since their last trip of the playoffs in 2016, along with all the disorganization within the franchise’s front office, bringing in a manager of Showalter’s caliber and experience may be just the thing to get the New York Mets back on track.