It has been nearly a quarter of a century since Buck Showalter managed a New York team to the playoffs, but he will inherit a retooled Mets team that expects nothing less than a return to October baseball in 2022.
There is a reason why so many across the sport believe Showalter is the right man for the job to take the franchise to the next level.
Of course, the resume speaks for itself. Twenty seasons of managerial experience, three Manager of the Year awards with three different teams, and four years of experience managing under the intense scrutiny of New York City. Showalter was considered the favorite to be named Mets manager for a reason, and now he will have an opportunity to show why.
After three years away from managing, Showalter will have a chance to finish what he started way back in 1995, when he led the Yankees out of their darkest days and out of their playoff drought. After being cast aside just before the Yanks put together baseball’s last great dynasty, Showalter now has a chance to win a title in New York, just in a different uniform.
The 65-year-old Showalter has come oh-so close to baseball’s peak many times already, starting with his Yankee tenure, when he was replaced by Joe Torre before the 1996 season, when the Bombers ended an 18-year title drought before winning three more over the next four years. While the Yanks were in the midst of a three-peat without Showalter, he was helping to navigate the Diamondbacks into existence, taking over as manager in 1998 and leading the team to a 100-win season a year later. A step back in 2000 led to his firing, and one year later, Arizona halted the Yankees’ World Series winning streak with its first-ever title, only Bob Brenly was in charge while Showalter pondered his next move.
The Rangers were the next stop for Showalter, where he won his second Manager of the Year award before the two sides parted ways in 2007. Three years later, Texas went to back-to-back Fall Classics. Showalter’s last good chance came in Baltimore, but the Orioles lost in a decisive game five to the Yankees in the 2012 ALDS and were swept away by the eventual champion Royals in the 2014 ALCS.
Showalter has shown a clear and consistent ability to improve ballclubs, and with the Mets, he will have his next chance to finish the job. Sure, there have been decisions along the way to question his moves when the pressure mounts, starting with his choice to hold off on bringing in Mariano Rivera during a Matiners rally in the eighth inning of a decisive game five in the ALDS, then, after finally bringing in Rivera, called on starter Jack McDowell in the 11th inning, only to watch the veteran give up a walk-off double to Edgar Martinez.
More than 20 years later, he infamously called on Ubaldo Jimenez instead of Zack Britton in the 11th inning of the 2016 Wild Card Game, resulting in a walk-off home run for the Blue Jays while one of the best relievers in the league that season was left unused in the bullpen. Those are the type of moves that left some to question whether Showalter is a manager of a different era that won’t work in today’s game, but he’ll be given a chance to show that those mistakes were also learning experiences.
Showalter has unfairly been seen by many as a baseball mind that refuses to embrace new-age tactics and the use of advanced data, but in reality, he was leading an Orioles team that was painfully lacking in the analytics department during his time there, and now joins a Mets team that has spent recent seasons catching up with the rest of the league in that department. He arrives in Queens with a proven ability to earn the respect of his players, and a willingness to absorb what has evolved in the game since he last managed a team.
Some might bring up his age when questioning his ability to implement new-age data and tweak his managerial tendencies, but a 72-year-old Dusty Baker just took the analytically-driven Astros to the World Series two months ago. With Showalter, that can certainly be replicated.
The result of Showalter’s established resume and his open-mindedness for new information could be a perfect formula for a Mets team that had three straight managerial hires with no previous experience, but now carries a roster that looks ready for the next step after adding Max Scherzer, Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha. The final piece has been put in place with Showalter, who will look to put a final landmark on his impressive managerial career: a ring.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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