The Keith Hernandez banishment we didn’t know about is over

Who knows the fundies better than Keith Hernandez? We’ve been treated to his baseball commentary from the booth for years now. The New York Mets legendary first baseman knows the game better than most.

You’d think any player, coach, or owner would welcome any advice he can toss their way. Like all advice, it doesn’t all have to be taken to heart. However, coming from someone like Hernandez, you know it’s in your best interest to listen.

Apparently, Hernandez wasn’t allowed near the batting cages under the past Mets regimes.

The Keith Hernandez “ban” has been lifted by Mets manager Buck Showalter

It’s kind of amazing that through all of the managers, hitting coaches, and players with leverage that this ban we didn’t even know about lasted as long as it did.

For it to go on 22 years is astonishing. Not once did a manager or coach welcome his advice. Did they feel that threatened?

Of course, there was one consistency over all of those years. The Wilpon Family owned the team and had more power over anyone else to keep Hernandez away from the batting cages.

New skipper Buck Showalter isn’t going to have any of it. He’s tearing down that wall. The iron curtain keeping Hernandez away from helping the team get better has been sledgehammered to rubble.

I’d be curious to see what kind of effect this has on the 2022 team. Nobody within the Mets organization has as much experience as him. He played and has watched from the booth as others tried to replicate what he did.

The addition of hitting coach Eric Chavez as well could help turn the Mets into a different kind of hitting team. Chavez was a little similar to Hernandez but with more pop during his best seasons. He knew the value of hitting for average, though. He also won a bunch of Gold Gloves, something Hernandez knows a thing or 11 about.

Things are changing in Flushing. Brand new ownership was the first step in the different philosophy.

Showalter, a manager with less to lose than so many others before him, will look to embrace the help Hernandez can give his players. It’s the dawn of a new era with the welcomed return of some sage advice from one of the greats.