New manager leaning on mentor Eiland to help fix staff

PORT ST. LUCIE — The spotlight is on Mickey Callaway and what he can do for the Mets pitchers, beginning Monday, when pitchers and catchers officially report to First Data Field.

“I’m excited, I can’t wait to get going,’’ Callaway said Sunday, but don’t underestimate the influence of pitching coach Dave Eiland.

Callaway is leaning heavily on Eiland, who was Callaway’s mentor when he was in the Rays organization in 1999.

“When you have a manager that was a pitcher, obviously he is going to relate to the pitchers better than a manager that wasn’t a pitcher,’’ Eiland, 51, said. “But Mickey is the manager, he is going to have a lot on his plate as far as managing. … I didn’t come here to be the assistant pitching coach and he be the manager/pitching coach, I came here to be the pitching coach or I wouldn’t have come.”

Eiland is already drawing rave reviews from Mets pitchers. Ei- land has been the pitching coach of two World Series-winning teams, the 2009 Yankees and the 2015 Royals, who beat the Mets.

The two men are always talking and exchanging ideas.

“He’s another set of eyes,’’ Eiland said of Callaway. “I think it’s a good thing. He knows what the pitcher is feeling. He knows what I’m feeling.

“When I first met Mickey, he was a guy whose eyes and ears were open, he wanted to learn, very respectful, and we kind of hit it off back there. Mickey is one of the most genuine people you’ll ever meet and is one of the big reasons I came here. There are other reasons, too. I know what it’s like to win in [New York], to win the championship there. I love the expectations there. I like the pressure of it all, I embrace it. I embrace the expectations, the pressure, the energy of the fans.’’

As for the handling of the pitchers, who are coming off so many injuries, Eiland said: “We are going to err on the side of caution, but you also have to get them ready. There is a fine line there. You can’t back them off too much, then they are not ready to go.”

He met with Matt Harvey for an hour in New York this winter.

“What happened in the past is in the past, everyone has a clean slate, me included,” Eiland said. “Matt looks good, I’m going to remain optimistic.

“I’ve got everything scheduled out through the first week of the season. But everything is written in pencil.”