New York Mets 2010 coaching staff & affiliates

Major League Baseball | New York Mets

• Manager: Jerry Manuel
• Bench Coach: Dave Jauss
• First Base Coach: Razor Shines
• Third Base Coach: Chip Hale
• Hitting Coach: Howard Johnson
• Pitching Coach: Dan Warthen
• Bullpen Coach: Randy Niemann

Minor Leagues

• Minor League Field Coordinator: Terry Collins

Triple-A | Buffalo Bisons

• Manager: Ken Oberkfell
• Batting Coach: Jack Voight
• Pitching Coach: Ricky Bones

Double-A | Binghamton Mets

• Manager: Tim Teufel
• Batting Coach: Luis Natera
• Pitching Coach: Hector Berrios

Advanced-A | St. Lucie Mets

• Manager: Vacant
• Batting Coach: George Greer
• Pitching Coach: Phil Regan

Single-A | Savannah Sand Gnats

• Manager: Edgar Alfonzo
• Batting Coach: Ryan Ellis
• Pitching Coach: Marc Valdes

Short-A | Brooklyn Cyclones

• Manager: Wally Backman
• Batting Coach: Vacant
• Pitching Coach: Rick Tomlin

Rookie | Kingsport Mets

• Manager: Mike DiFelice
• Batting Coach: Bobby Malek
• Pitching Coach: Jonathan Hurst

Report: Mets hire Jauss as bench coach

The Mets will announce a hiring of Dave Jauss as Jerry Manuel’s new bench coach, according to Ken Rosenthal’s sources.  A Daily News report also tabbed Jauss for the Mets last week.

Jauss was hired by Manuel in 1988 as a manager in the Montreal Expos system.

He has worked as first base coach for the Boston Red Sox from 1997-99 under Grady Little.  He also worked as minor-league field coordinatior from 2000-01.  In ‘01, he served as the Red Sox bench coach.  In ‘02 he directed player development and from ‘03-‘05 he worked as an advanced scout.

From ‘06-‘07, Jauss worked as a bench coach under Little in Los Angeles.  In ‘08-‘09, he served as the bench coach for the Baltimore Orioles.

Coaching News: Backman in Brooklyn, Teufel in Binghamton and Alomar Jr. in Cleveland

Three coaching moves for the Mets organization today.  Two in and one out.

• Wally Backman was officially announced as the manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones, a minor league affiliate to the Mets.
• Tim Teufel, another ‘86-er, was hired as manager of the Double-A Binghamton Mets.
• And Sandy Alomar Jr., who was the catching instructor for the Mets last season, has been named first base coach for the Cleveland Indians.

Poll Results: Fans feel Mets fired the wrong coaches

In the latest poll, I asked fans if they thought the Mets fired the right coaches when they cut Sandy Alomar Sr. and Luis Alicea from the coaching staff and reassigned Razor Shines and Sandy Alomar Jr.

Here are the results…What do you think?

Next poll: Are you watching the playoffs this year?

Heyman: Backman back in the fold

Jon Heyman just tweeted something of note…

Mets planning to bring back feisty '86 hero Wally Backman in minor-league coaching role. they could use a little spunk.

It’s about time this guy got another shot.

There is an opening with Double-A Binghamton, as manager Mako Oliveras was fired last week.

Backman’s brash attitude might not sit well with some people, but he’s the kind of guy that will light a fire under a player or team and push them to perform.  He has a very polarizing persona, so some people hate him and some people love him.

I’m interested to see how Mets fans react to this.  I know a few people will like to see Backman back with the Mets.  On the flip side, I also know a lot of people just flat-out don’t like him.

Also, if Jerry Manuel gets off to a rough start in 2010, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t considered as a replacement.

Another note on coaches, according to a source, the Mets and Edgardo Alfonzo have been talking about a possible coaching position, likely with the Gulf Coast League team.  Just a rumor right now, but that would be nice to see.

Alomar Sr. and Alicea will not return to coaching staff

The Mets have announced that bench coach Sandy Alomar Sr. and first base coach Luis Alicea will not return for the 2010 season.

Alomar Sr. will be offered another position with the Mets.

Third base coach Razor Shines and catching instructor Sandy Alomar Jr. will stay on staff, but their roles are yet to be determined.

According to Jon Heyman, it was Jerry Manuel’s choice not to fire Shines.

That means Manuel, pitching coach Dan Warthen, hitting coach Howard Johnson and bullpen coach Randy Niemann will be the only coaches sticking in the same roles.

Is this the start to the Mets off-season that you expected?

FOX Sports all over the Mets managerial position today

Two articles on FOXSports.com today have to do with the Mets managerial spot.  First, I read the Ken Rosenthal column pointing out that Manuel points fingers at players instead of taking the blame on himself.  Then I read the Bob Klapisch article suggesting Bobby Valentine could be back with the Mets sooner rather than later.

Here’s Rosenthal’s argument:

Manuel, in baseball parlance, "throws guys under the bus."
---
Manuel is not Ozzie Guillen, issuing rat-a-tat criticisms and threats to the White Sox on almost a daily basis. But he is also not Charlie Manuel, who rarely calls out specific players and receives unwavering loyalty from the Phillies in return.

As a media member, I certainly appreciate Manuel saying, "We can't keep sugar-coating things because that's not real." But while I like Manuel a great deal, I'm not sure I would like playing for him.

I know it doesn’t count for much, but the anti-Manuel rumblings and grumblings of Mets fans have been increasing lately.  Sure, they’re in second place and dealing with a ton of injuries, but fans seem to be growing angrier and angrier with the manager’s decision making.

I don’t think he’ll be fired anytime soon, but I wouldn’t be that surprised.

Here’s Klapsich’s argument for a possible replacement:

Despite having fired him in 2002, Met ownership has no hard feelings toward Valentine. In fact, he and GM Omar Minaya remain close friends after a successful relationship in the late '80s with the Rangers, when Valentine was managing and Minaya was a scout.

Does that mean Valentine is next in line to succeed to Jerry Manuel? It depends on whether the Mets survive September, not to mention October. But there's no question a coup is coming if the Mets fail to catch the Phillies — starting with a new manager.
---
Valentine isn't sure how this corporate struggle will end, but insists he'd like to remain in Japan. That's the irony of being labeled an outsider: Valentine feels more at home in the Far East than he did in Flushing, where he was locked in a to-the-death war with then GM Steve Phillips.

Phillips ultimately prevailed, convincing the Wilpon family to fire Valentine after the 2002 season. But no one at Citi Field seems to hold that against Valentine today, certainly not when it's apparent Phillips' dismissal was based on a personal dislike.

Mets fans seem to have a fascination with Valentine.  We just passed the 10 year anniversary of one of Valentine’s classic moments as a Mets manager (the disguise in the dugout, of course).  Fans were positively tickled to celebrate.

Again, I don’t think Manuel’s sealed his fate just yet, but I think it would take a lot to pry Valentine out of Japan and back to New York.

Mets name Alicea first base coach

Now the coaching staff in complete.

From the press release:

Manager Jerry Manuel completed the New York Mets' coaching staff today by naming Luis Alicea the team's first base coach.

For the last two years, Alicea was the first base coach for the Boston Red Sox. Luis also was a manager in the Red Sox Minor League system for three seasons. He directed Lowell (A) of the New York-Penn League from 2004-2005, Greenville (A) of the South Atlantic League in 2006 and Peoria of the Arizona (A) Fall League, also in 2006

The weirdest part about this is when I was walking back from class, not five minutes ago, I was wondering when they would name the first base coach. With Lee Mazilli out at SNY, I was pondering his chances at returning to coaching. Guess not.

I can't criticize this move at all. He's the first base coach. Yay.

Coaching staff rounding out

As noted yesterday, Jerry Manuel will retain Dan Warthen, Howard Johnson, and Sandy Alomar Sr. Today, two more coaches were announced.

Randy Niemann and Razor Shines (great name) have been added to the 2009 Mets staff. Niemann will take over the bullpen coaching duties, and Shines will man the third base coaching box.

Guy Conti, the teams previous bullpen coach, Ken Oberkfell, and Luis Aguayo will all stay with the organization. Oberkfell will likely return to managing the AAA affiliate.

Niemann will start his third stint as the Mets bullpen coach, as he was with the team from 2000-2002 and 1997-midway through 1999. This will be his 22nd year with the Mets.

Shines, used to coach with the White Sox organization, which is most likely why he's joining Manuel's staff (Manuel coached the Sox from 98-03).

I'm going to find as many reasons to write about Razor Shines as possible. I like all of these moves, all of these coaches. Well done.

And oh thank heavens, Luis Aguayo will no longer be in the dugout.

Johnson and Warthen are coming back, maybe Alomar too

Good. Even better that there is no mention of Luis Aguayo returning.

Marty Noble has a new article up on MLB.com where he says, "The club has all but decided to retain the respective pitching and hitting coaches, and it is inclined to bring back another incumbent, Sandy Alomar Sr., who served as Manuel's bench coach."

Dan Warthen will continue to do what he does best: fix young pitchers (Pelfrey and Maine) and keep his hands off of the big guy (Johan).

HoJo has no need to go anywhere. Yes, you could complain about the lack of timely hitting and how quiet the bats went during the last week of the season, but there is only so much a coach can do. He did his job, the players just failed to pull through at the plate. I also liked to hear from Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling how broken up HoJo was after the last game of the season. I like that kind of emotion in the game.

Alomar Sr., I really have no problem with. He seems to be a close friend of Jose Reyes, and anything that makes Jose happy, makes me happy too.

Aguayo needs to go. Give me Wally Backman.

Should they stay or should they go? [Coaches]

Last week, I took a peek at the hitters and pitchers from the 2008 Mets to see who should stay and who should go.

Now, we'll take a look at the coaching staff.

Jerry Manuel - Stay. Obviously, he's coming back. He just signed a two-year deal, and hopefully he can make it through both years. Gangsta.

Sandy Alomar Sr. - Stay. He's old, he's cranky, and thankfully he did not get punched in the head this season. I'm not sure how much he truly contributes, but it seems like he's loved by all. Jose Reyes and him have a close relationship, and I wouldn't want to jeopardize that. He's capable when he took over for Manuel a few times, so I don't mind bringing him back, but the clock is ticking.

Howard Johnson - Stay. 751 RBI, 799 runs, .266 AVG, .340 OBP, .420 SLG. Mets were top five in the league in every category outside of slugging. HoJo stays. One could argue the Mets weren't "clutch" enough, but that does not fall on Johnson. He's done enough to hone the hitters to what they are, it's up to them when it comes down to it. No reason to give him the boot.

Dan Warthen - Stay. He brought back Oliver Perez. He helped Mike Pelfrey. Both good things. The bullpen was a different story. When you talk about pitching coaches, the emphasis is on the starters and rarely do you hear about the coach working with the bullpen. Yes, there is a "Bullpen Coach," but the pitching coach is his "superior." This pen is not a product of poor coaching, but rather from overuse and it's just poorly constructed. An overhaul is needed, but Warthen is not the problem.

Guy Conti - Go. If the bullpen coach is the issue, then change the bullpen coach. Rick Peterson? (Joke.)

Ken Oberkfell - Stay. How hard can a first base coaches job be? Could also take over is Manuel and Alomar are given the boot in a game. Groomed to be the next manager, or is that HoJo's spot?

Luis Aguayo - Go. Go. Go. I'm giving him the windmill to go home, fully knowing that the catcher already has the ball in his glove and is just waiting for Aguayo to apply the tag. Sound familiar? He takes way too many chances, most of which do not pay off and run the team out of big innings. Wally Backman, anyone?

Gotta love the fire in Jerry Manuel

Jerry Manuel was tossed again yesterday, and I couldn't be happier. Most times a manager is tossed, the team responds with some action. Unfortunately, that did not happen for the Mets.

I do like the fire in Manuel. He seems to be very engrossed in the game, and very willing to stand up for his players. He's already been ejected four times as the manager of the Mets, and once more as bench coach when Willie Randolph was still around.

I absolutely love Manuel as a manager. If it were up to me, I'd have him signing on the dotted line for a few more years of Manuel as a Met.

He's candid with his players. If he has something to say to someone, he'll tell them. He won't dance around it for fear he will make them unhappy. He knows they are professionals and should be treated as such.

He can manage the team. Only on a few occasions have I been confused or mad about moves Manuel has made during the course of a game. There were a few bullpen decisions I wish he did differently, but I can't put all of the blame on him for some poor outings.

And most importantly, he knows how to handle the media. He doesn't fear the journalists like a certain previous manager seemed to. He's entirely candid and up front about things and won't pull punches. He knows what's up and he's willing to entertain the writers, radio, and TV guys with a few jokes while he's telling the straight truth.

So far, so good with Jerry Manuel. It sure does help to have a winning record and sit in first place, too.

Help Wanted: Competent third base coach

Position:
A third base coach who realizes when a ball is going to beat the runner by, say, 15 feet, you don't send him.

Must:
Have full sight.
Be able to swing arm in windmill motion.
Willing to wear plastic helmet.
Common sense.

Should:
Speak Spanish.
Have hands.

Not necessary:
Hold prior coaching job...ever. As long as you understand baseball more than Luis Aguayo.

I am not alone

This morning I wrote that I had never the mainstream media come crashing down on one team with such negativity before. Finally, I found someone that agrees with me.

Toasty Joe, from "Yes Joe, It's Toasted," puts it as perfectly as humanly possible:

But come the f*** on already. This hysterical outrage from the media is laughable. It's like they shot the man. "They owed him better than this"? Why? If anything he owed them after what happened last year. And was he delivering this season? F***, no. In fact, his players were lazy, sloppy, disinterested, undisciplined, and bickering. He deserved to get fired, and frankly, the more I thought about it, the less I gave a rat's ass that the man had to endure the indignity of a free, first-class plane trip to California to finally learn his fate.

Though I would've done it without profanity (though sometimes I wish I could use some curse words), this is pure genius. Well done sir.

3:11 a.m.!?!? It makes perfect sense to me

You probably think this is one of those posts blasting Omar Minaya for firing Willie Randolph at some ridiculous hour.

Not so.

The word came out at roughly 3:11 a.m. that Randolph had been fired as manager of the Mets. If you take a step back from your emotions and look at the simple breakdown of the time frame, it makes perfect sense.

The game was slated for a 10:05 p.m. start, Eastern standard time. The game took approximately three hours and ten minutes.

That puts us at 1:15 a.m. EST. The post game locker room shuffle, with the usual talk with reporters probably takes somewhere from 20 to 35 minutes. Allow time for the man to change, and get on the bus to head back to the hotel, probably somewhere around 2 or 2:15 a.m. EST.

By the time they get back from the stadium, a meeting where the actual deed is done must commence. Let's say that meeting started somewhere around 2:45 a.m. EST. Don't forget that Minaya also had to meet with Rick Peterson and Tom Nieto to relieve them of their duties.

An estimate on how long the meeting with Willie Randolph would last, I would venture a guess at something near 10-15 minutes. By that time, the word is out. Give the PR staff a few minutes to do their job and bang out a release and send it through the appropriate channels, and by my watch, we land precisely at 3:11 a.m. EST.

Either way, because they're on the west coast, no story ever makes the papers the next day, not even a report of the game. Would you have rather had Minaya wait until morning, and fire Randolph over breakfast? The story still doesn't make the papers.

Either way, because they're on the west coast, any story from that night isn't going to hit the newsstands for another 24 hours.

My guess of the rundown of events (EST):

10:05 p.m.: First pitch from Jered Weaver to Jose Reyes.

1:15 a.m.: Game ends with Reyes turning an unassisted double play.

2:00 a.m.: Leave for hotel.

2:15 a.m.: Arrive at the hotel.

2:30 a.m.: First meeting is called.

2:32 a.m.: Nieto is relieved of his duties.

2:37 a.m.: Second meeting is called.

2:39 a.m.: Peterson is relieved of his duties.

2:50 a.m.: Third meeting is called.

2:54 a.m.: Randolph is fired.

3:10 a.m.: Word hits the wires.

Sounds about right to me.

Jerry Manuel profile

The new interim manager of the New York Mets, Jerry Manuel, was the subject of a New York Times back on February 24, 2007.

Ben Shpigel penned the column, and here's an excerpt:

As the manager of the White Sox, Manuel developed a reputation for being a fine communicator and motivator. “He’s one of the reasons why I signed with the Mets last year,” José Valentín said. “He knew what kind of player I was with Chicago, and he knew how to get the most out of me.”

Manuel has had baseball teachers, too. From [Felipe] Alou, he said, he learned to recognize the natural rhythms of baseball, and the importance of making correct decisions within those confines. From [Jim] Leyland, he said, he developed a feel — “a sixth sense,” he called it — on trusting his instincts and not necessarily the data from a computer.

Even now, during batting practice, Manuel will find a secluded spot on the field — usually behind second base — to watch. He will listen to the chatter and observe players, trying to pick up any nugget of information that might guide his hunches throughout a game. Manuel will also pore over pitching charts and study favorable counts to steal a base, but he will not let that define his philosophy.

For the rest of the profile, click here.

Manuel, though calm, seems to be able to relate to his players more than one would see on the surface. Good luck, Manuel. You're going to need it.

Happy?

Am I happy after Willie Randolph was fired? Yes and no.

I'm pleased to see the team finally make a decision and pull the trigger, though it took way too long to do so. I'm just fearful that things will continue as is, and the team will shut down entirely.

Jerry Manuel is a good manager, but he's exactly like Randolph. He's calm, cool, collected. He's not one to rant like Ozzie Guillen. Manuel was ejected once this year, which I guess is nice to see, but being ejected doesn't make you a good manager.

Either way, I'm glad that something has been done. Randolph isn't the sole problem behind this team's mediocre play, but he was part of it.

Unless Manuel can pull off a masterpiece with the rest of this season, do you think the Mets are admitting defeat? I don't. They wanted this to be a sign for the players to get in gear, or else. I don't think it will work to the effect they wish, since it was strung out so long, but it should work to some degree.

Win. That's all they need to do. It's easier said than done, I know. Just win and keep winning.

Mets fire Willie Randolph

A day that has long been coming, is finally upon us. Willie Randolph has been fired as the head coach of the New York Mets.

Among the other firings, Rick Peterson and Tom Nieto were also fired.

Jerry Manuel has been named the interim head coach. Also, Ken Oberkfell, Luis Aguayo and Dan Warthen have been added to the coaching staff.

Obkerfell was the New Orleans manager, Aguayo was the Mets field coordinator, and Warthen was the AAA pitching coach.

I'm half-relieved the tip-toeing and dance is over. The rest of me is now worried for the future and uncertainty that lies ahead.

[The Daily News has a photo gallery of Willie's tenure as manager]

Early Morning Madness: Happy trails, Willie

I had an entirely different post thought up, but here it goes...

Anyone in their right mind knows the Mets completely botched the handling of Willie Randolph. Rick Peterson and Tom Nieto, as well.

There's no refuting it and it's almost practically a fact. There's nothing more to say on this matter more than "it's over."

*****

Howard Johnson must be thanking his lucky stars right now that he's still employed.

*****

I wonder if Gary Carter has made any phone calls this morning.

I think he shot himself in the foot with what happened. I don't think it's a bad thing, what he did, but it was blown completely out of proportion.

*****

Good luck, Jerry Manuel. Maybe you can just stick around for a while.

Present and accounted for...sir!

Though rumors are still flying that one, some or all coaches might be gone by weeks end, all of the current staff is at the ballpark in California.

Tom Nieto was the man closest to the ax as of late. Yes, because people believe the first base coach is the real problem here.