A simple way for the NY Mets to appease fans distraught over losing Antoan Richardson

The World Series is going on and the thing New York Mets fans care about most is who’ll coach first base. Okay, maybe it’s hyperbolic. But the impending loss of Antoan Richardson whose noted strength of turning the team into successful and regular base stealers, none more notable than Juan Soto, will undoubtedly be felt.

The search for a first base coach is generally not one fans care all that much about. How many can the average fan name without looking it up?

The first base coach is generally more than just a guy who’ll relay signs to hitters or decide if a hit is worth trying to leg out a double. Responsibilities can vary for them, as well as the third base coach, where the Mets have another vacancy. The Mets should never hire a coach just because it’ll appease the fans. However, with the right credentials, are they really making a bad call by adding Edgardo Alonzo in some capacity?

The Mets coaching staff could use an experienced and successful MLB player the fans already know

Shortly after the Mets began their coaching turnover, Alfonzo expressed his interest in joining Carlos Mendoza’s staff. Having previously coached in the minor leagues, he wouldn’t be coming into the job blind. He led the 2019 Brooklyn Cyclones to a championship and was oddly not retained as the club’s skipper. He later coached the Staten Island Ferryhawks in the Independent League in 2022.

David Stearns hasn’t been one to cater to the desire of fans while Steve Cohen has been mindful to present us with favorable decisions. Calls on coaches should involve input from Mendoza whose selections are more difficult to understand considering he inherited most of the coaching staff he gained when first hired by the Mets ahead of the 2024 season.

Alfonzo’s layoff from coaching might present the greatest hurdle to justify hiring him for a role as visible as first base or third base coach. An advisory role of some kind seems most realistic for a player of his age, experience, and caliber. A look around some of the MLB coaches from last season and we don’t really find too many All-Star players from the late 1990s. In general, those players no longer tend to take coaching gigs post-playing career.

The current coaching staff doesn’t have a recognizable name from Mets history or any other team for that matter. They don’t seem opposed to it, having employed Eric Chavez the last few seasons. Naming a behind-the-scenes fielding guru to coach third base is one way to appeal to a group of fans and would be the easier wager. Adding Alfonzo to the staff in some capacity will show an awareness and crossover between the difference in how Stearns tend to operate. It doesn’t have to be Alfonzo, but with his publicly expressed interest, it would be malpractice to not at least interview him.