The Mets surprised many with the sudden firing of hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant Tom Slater just one month into the regular season, including former manager Willie Randolph.
Randolph, who knows first-hand what it's like to be let go from the Mets midseason, didn't expect to New York to make the move it did, even with the Mets scoring the second fewest runs in the league at the time.
"They split [the doubleheader] yesterday, so we'll see how it goes forward," Randolph told Moose & Maggie while also joined by Bernie Williams on Thursday. "But that's kind of touchy. That's why I was surprised they did it when they did. Not the fact that they let go of a great hitting coach like Chili Davis, but they were starting to swing the bat better and they threw this little monkey wrench in there, that can take you in a tailspin. We'll see how they react to that, but I was surprised they made the move when they did."
Randolph was the third base coach for the Yankees while Davis was in pinstripes, before he managed the Mets for three-plus seasons, including a 97-win campaign in 2006, when New York game one game short of reaching the World Series. He was with the Yankees coaching staff when hitting coach Chris Chambliss was surprisingly fired after the 2000 season, when the Yanks were coming off a third straight World Series win, the latest a five-game dismantling of the Mets.
"The ripple effects can be pretty strong, it depends on how the players react to it," Randolph said. "You saw a couple players respond with the emotions like Pete Alonso and a few other guys. It can go either way. Sometimes guys react to it and sometimes it sends you into a tailspin."
Alonso told reporters on after the firings that he was in tears at his locker when he heard the news, which reportedly caught multiple players off guard. Randolph believes it's part of a constant struggle for teams to try and find the balance between relying on advanced stats and a more human approach to coaching that can result in a quick hook on a coach like Davis.
"I think there's a happy marriage there somewhere, but I don't think you can go too far in one way or the other," Randolph said. "If you do, you kind of put handcuffs on certain players."
One of the Mets hitters who has looked like he's hitting with handcuffs is Francisco Lindor, fresh off his 10-year, $341 million extension but has also gone hitless in his last 24 at-bats. Lindor has heard boos already in his first month as a Met, but Randolph expects those to turn to cheers sooner than later.
"You could see his body language, things are bothering him, it's eating him up right now," Randolph said. "He needs to just relax…he's going to be fine. You see guys come to New York with all the expectations and big contracts, it's natural sometimes to try and do too much. He wants to get off to a good start and be a leader…right now he needs to focus on baseball and get himself together, and he's going to be fine."
Manager Luis Rojas said the team hasn't thought about moving Lindor down in the lineup, and told Carton & Roberts on Wednesday that he expects his star shortstop to break out of his early slump and show his worth. Randolph expects the same, and isn't surprised that Lindor has gotten off to a slow start.
"I've seen guys come and go, I've been in this town all my life," Randolph said. "This is what happens. You struggle the first time around because you're trying to impress and justify the contract and you're pressing a little bit. After a while, fans are going to love him, he's going to settle in, he's going to have a tremendous year."
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