The Mets didn't waste time finding a replacement for Omar Minaya. COO, Jeff Wilpon introduced the new GM today to the press. "Sandy has the intelligence, leadership and creativity to reinvigorate this franchise and implement a structure and system that will produce a winning and contending team for the long term," Wilpon said in a statement. "His success and vast experience are unmatched, uniquely qualifying him to lead our baseball department." The last few general managers of the Mets have been hired with similar introductory remarks, but Sandy Alderson may just be the man to do the job that Minaya, Steve Phillips, and Jim Duquette could not.
Sandy's Resume
Sandy Alderson has had a very successful career. Although he did not have a baseball background before becoming the Oakland Athletics general counsel in 1981, he was very quickly promoted to general manager in 1983. There, he enjoyed much success, winning 4 division championships, three pennants, and a world series in 14 years. In 1995, Walter A. Haas, Jr who owned the Athletics at the time, passed away, and when the team was taken over by Stephen Schott and Ken Hoffman, Alderson started concentrating on sabermetrics, when the team's payroll was being reduced. In 1997, Alderson stepped down, paving the way for new GM, Billy Beane. From 1998 until 2005, he worked in the front office of MLB. In '05 he stepped down to become the CEO of the San Diego Padres, while also teaching business at Berkeley. He resigned as CEO in 2009 and has been working with MLB to address the corruption in the Dominican Republic regarding a number of issues, including lying on birth certificates and steroids.
The Road Ahead
His first task is a big one: To find a new manager to lead the Mets back to the postseason for the first time since 2006. He intimated that he wants a manger with some personality, but also one that follows the stats, which doesn't tell us very much. Many Mets fans are clamoring for the return of the very popular Bobby Valentine, but that is unrealistic. Valentine wouldn't be my first choice to manage the Mets. If I were Sandy Alderson, there are two very different types of managers that I would take a look at:
1. Successful, older manager: As any team in transition, you start from the top down. And you want your new manager to reflect your team. For example, when Nolan Ryan hired Ron Washington as a rookie coach, Texas became a very dangerous team on the base paths. Washington preached this to his team because that was what he was like as a player. Washington fit in Texas because it was a young team, and he grew with the Rangers. But the Mets are a very different team, if they are not going to restructure. So if they don't here is what they should do:
The Mets, as a team, have a lot of talent. Their best player, hands down, has to be David Wright. But, aside from Wright, the Mets have good talent at shortstop, in the outfield, with a legitimate ace on the mound, and two decent starters behind him. The kind of manager that a club like this needs is a Lou Pinella/Joe Torre type. An older manager with a lot of experience under his belt to help guide a team with some decent talent, to just supervise, but also maximize that talent. Jerry Manuel was not that guy, but a Lou Pinella or a Joe Torre, if you can dissuade him from retirement, are very much those guys. Both have different styles of course, and if you believe what Sandy Alderson says, he would probably lean towards Pinella.
2. Rookie Manager, Young Retread. The Mets should only hire a rookie manager, or even a young retread if they decide to rebuild. Being objective, I think that the Mets should not restructure their Major League team. Their farm system is a different story, and Sandy Alderson, seeing first hand the talent in the Dominican Republic and other areas should be able to do a good job in that area. But, in the event the Mets do start a rebuilding project, then a rookie manager would be perfect for this club. Who that candidate would be, I haven't the slightest idea, but the Mets will probably start the search in the next two weeks.
A young retread is more interesting. I think that Tony Pena, 53, is itching to get another shot at becoming a manager, and I think he would be good for the Mets. He was a cathcer, and they always seem to make the best managers. He won AL Manager of the year in 2003, when he managed the Royals to their first winning season in a decade. Clint Hurdle, 53, who is a coach for the Rangers is also an interesting option. He both played and managed in the Mets organization. He spent time with the New York Mets in 1983, and 1985. He managed in their farm system from 1988-1993. He later joined the Rockies organization becoming a hitting coach, and eventually replaced Buddy Bell as manager in 2002. He led Colorado to the World Series in 2007, where they were swept by the Boston Red Sox, and was fired in 2009 after a very slow start. He is currently the hitting coach for the Texas Rangers.
Whether you believe this was the right person to do the job for the Mets doesn't matter. He has the reins now, and he has a long road ahead of him, with even a longer list of question marks. Those questions range from: Who is the next manager? What should become of Oliver Perez? Do I rebuild this team? And with every new question, there are ten more in it's wake. For now, Mets fans just sit and and wait.
Pitchers and catchers: February 13. Can't wait.
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