Anything short of hiring Buck Showalter will feel like a letdown

The New York Mets are inching closer to hiring their next manager. Just about everyone’s favorite seems to be Buck Showalter. And I can’t blame them.

Showalter is as proven as any of the available names out there. While he has the unfortunate distinction of leaving the New York Yankees right before they won the 1996 World Series then suffered the same fate with the Arizona Diamondbacks when they won in 2001 after he had managed them for the last three seasons, Showalter is a guy who has what the last two managers lacked: a ton of experience.

Following the tenures of Mickey Callaway and Luis Rojas, Mets fans are eager to see something completely different. That’s Showalter. Hiring anyone else will feel like a major letdown.

The Mets will know exactly what they’re getting if they hire Buck Showalter

Due to his lengthy resume as a big league manager, the Mets will know exactly what they’re getting themselves into if it’s Showalter they name as the next manager. He’s not a new wave skipper who relies on analytics or loving the players in the clubhouse like they're children. Buck’s reputation is that of an old-school guy, far closer to the Terry Collins-type managers out there.

Something I always felt about the last two regimes was how much the manager seemed to want to be the player’s friend. Callaway and Rojas were significantly younger than Showalter, a 65-year-old with over 3,000 MLB games managed under his belt.

This was especially true with Rojas during his half-season in 2020 and full campaign in 2021. He seemed like a player’s coach in the worst way. Likable for sure, the lack of leadership from players seemed to translate poorly when the manager wasn’t able to take the reins instead.

Showalter is no guarantee to turn the Mets around. After all, he has just a .506 winning percentage. He has yet to appear in a World Series as well let alone win one.

This hasn’t stopped Mets fans from openly pleading and voting on every Twitter poll out there that Buck is the guy for the job. And I don’t disagree in the least bit.

Hiring Showalter could turn into a major mistake for the Mets. The same could be said about everyone. At least with Showalter, he has the lengthy track record. He has the tools to turn the Mets around for the better. It’s just a matter of giving him the chance to make it happen.