New Mets skipper Buck Showalter's track record as manager

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen announced via his Twitter account that he has hired Buck Showalter to take the reins as the next skipper of the New York Mets.

Coming into the 2022 having spent 20 seasons managing at the Major League level, Showalter is the most experienced manager the Mets have hired since Casey Stengel for their inaugural year in 1962.

The reaction by the Mets fanbase to this news has been largely positive, as Showalter brings years of experience and a respectable track record with him to New York.

To many, this comes as a refreshing change of pace, as the last two managers the Mets hired, Mickey Callaway and Luis Rojas, had never managed at the major league level prior to being signed.

For Showalter, the Mets are set to become the 5th team he has managed in the MLB. He'll be taking over the team coming off of a losing season, which is something he is no stranger to.

Showalter began his career as a manager with the Yankees in 1992, so he is already familiar with managing a team in the largest sports market in the United States and dealing with the New York media.

During this stretch, he also made a very notable cameo on Seinfeld, agreeing with George Costanza to make all the team's uniforms out of cotton, which is a mistake he hopefully doesn't repeat with the Mets.

Buck went on to manage the Bombers for 4 years before resigning following the 1996 season after a disagreement with ownership. From there, he was hired by the Diamondbacks and served as skipper for their inaugural season in 1998.

He served as manager with Arizona for 3 years until being fired following the 2000 season, and from there, managed the Texas Rangers from 2003-2006 and most recently, the Baltimore Orioles from 2010 – 2018.

Over those aforementioned 20 years in the Majors, Showalter managed a grand total of 3069 games across the 4 teams, winning 1551 of them, averaging out to a combined winning percentage of .506, and while those numbers don't necessarily jump off the page, the context of them certainly does.

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.

After a difficult inaugural season, Showalter lead them to a record of 100-62 in 1999, turning them from a band of misfits to playoff contenders, where they ironically were eliminated by the Mets in the divisional series.

After looking at a clear picture of his history as a manager, throughout his career, Buck Showalter has consistently created contenders out of second rate teams. The Mets are coming off of a losing year, but made big acquisitions this offseason and with Showalter at the helm, are arguably the favorites to win the NL East in 2022.

Showalter has always had a reputation of being an old school manager, in addition to being bold, brash and not afraid to get into a fight with the umpires over a bad call, or even with ownership for that matter.

One thing is undisputed however, and that is the man knows how to build teams and get the most out of his players. Even the new Mets pitcher Max Scherzer, arguably the biggest free agent signee in franchise history stated that Showalter was his preferred choice to manage the team.

Having that vote of confidence from a player the caliber of Scherzer says a lot, and Max is not alone in feeling this way. Showalter is regarded as one of the top baseball minds in the MLB, receiving high praise from several former Mets managers.

Terry Collins stated in a recent interview with SNY that "It's time to make an impact. The impact is Buck Showalter. He's one of the most prepared guys I've ever been around."

Bobby Valentine also gave his two cents, wishing Showalter congratulations on Twitter before stating "Post season here we come."

2022 is meant to be a statement year for the New York Mets, saying that this team is serious about being contenders for years to come, and love him or hate him, Showalter is the man set to lead them into this new era.

He is well respected amongst his managerial peers and players alike and has the track record and experience to back up everything said about him, so with all of that said, there is only one thing left to say.

Welcome back to New York Buck! See you at Spring Training.