Carlos Mendoza has challenges ahead as a rookie manager
For Carlos Mendoza, Tuesday was a dream come true.
The infielder who came to the United States from Venezuela as a teenager to play baseball played 13 years without ever reaching the big leagues. But Tuesday at Citi Field, he reached a different sort of pinnacle when the Mets named him the 25th manager in club history.
“I remember when I said I wanted to be a big leaguer,” Mendoza said in his introductory press conference. “Well, I didn’t become a big leaguer, but today, I’m the manager of the New York Mets.”
Frank and Leyda Mendoza came from Venezuela to be in attendance. Frank sat in the front row with a Mets cap, recording his son speak on a dais with his phone. His mother, Leyda, wiped away tears. His two sons — also infielders — beamed and he thanked his wife, Francis, who gave up her career at home as a dentist in order to support this baseball dream.
The soon-to-be 44-year-old Mendoza was practically vibrating with excitement. But at some point, the excitement is going to wear off and reality is going to hit. The Mets often offer a uniquely chaotic reality.
Mendoza might be a rookie manager but he isn’t naive to the pressures that managers face in this city, having been Aaron Boone’s bench coach in the Bronx for the last four years. Mendoza’s experience coaching for the Yankees was one of the attributes that led David Stearns to choose him over the other candidates.
“It was certainly a factor,” Stearns said. “He could articulate what he had seen. He could talk about experiences that he personally had in this city, that he had in the environment with the pressure, the fans and the media that other candidates who haven’t been here just haven’t lived yet. They would adjust, but Carlos has that firsthand knowledge. So nothing is going to surprise him.”
Stearns previously worked with a first-time manager in Milwaukee in Craig Counsell. What Stearns learned through that experience was that a first-time manager needs a support system in place. That support group will include staffers from various departments, but with a heavy emphasis on the on-field coaching staff, which the Mets will start filling out in the coming days.
Only pitching coach Jeremy Hefner is safe. Bench coach Eric Chavez is almost assuredly on his way out and the others are guaranteed nothing. The Mets are expected to target some coaches with managerial experience to be able to surround Mendoza with veteran voices, but Stearns doesn’t feel as though it’s a strict requirement.
“I don’t know that it’s necessarily more [support], it’s probably just a little bit different,” Stearns said. “It probably does involve how we think about the coaching staff a little bit and ensuring that he’s going to get the advice and perspective that he wants.”
The front office and the communications staff will provide support and guidance as well. As a bench coach, Mendoza didn’t have the responsibility of talking to the media daily. However, he does understand the role the media plays in the sport. It can be a different beast in large markets, but the Mets have an entirely different media ecosystem.
The SNY broadcast crew of play-by-play man Gary Cohen and former franchise greats Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling have an outsized influence on the fanbase. Fans view them as beloved family members, offering comedic reprieve and sharp critique.
There is a large beat contingent and increased national attention that comes from playing in New York. Not every manager has handled it well, but it’s a challenge Mendoza is eager to embrace.
“I’m kind of like the bridge communicating through you to the fan base,” Mendoza said. “So I think it’s important and those are some of the things that I’m really looking forward to as a manager now.”
The Mets haven’t been known to get it right with first-time managers. Mickey Callaway was a disaster. His successor, Mendoza’s friend Luis Rojas, was well-respected but was overmatched at times. Willie Randolph, a close friend and advisor of Mendoza, was unceremoniously fired in the middle of the night after a win in California in 2008 and hasn’t managed since.
At some point, the newness of it all will fade away. By the time the dog days arrive and the NL East standings are tight, Mendoza may forget all about how it felt to be sitting up on the dais while his proud father took a video on his phone. Time will tell whether or not this dream becomes a nightmare, but for now, Mendoza is letting himself enjoy the feeling of finally being awarded a hard-earned opportunity.
“I’m going to go through sort of ups and downs,” Mendoza said. “But I’m ready for this challenge. I’m ready for this new chapter and I can’t wait to get going.”
