Mendoza, Stearns era set to begin: ‘We’ll let everyone else believe in us later on’
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Glenn Sherlock squinted into the sun in the Clover Park dugout, thinking about the question that was posed: How many major league managers still throw batting practice?
“Not many,” the Mets catching coordinator said. “But he throws pretty well.”
Carlos Mendoza, the Mets first-year manager, was throwing batting practice ahead of an exhibition game, something he has done quite frequently throughout spring training. It’s not exactly uncommon for a manager to throw batting practice like Mendoza does, but it doesn’t happen as much as it used to.
For the 44-year-old Mendoza, it’s another way for him to stay connected with the players on the field.
“I’ve been stressing the importance of building relationships and the connections with players,” Mendoza said. “They have to have that trust.”
Mendoza is the Mets’ sixth manager since 2017 (counting Carlos Beltran) and he replaces a manager that many of the players in his clubhouse already trusted, Buck Showalter. The Mets’ core has seen countless hitting coaches, pitching coaches, bench coaches and development coaches. There have been several different voices coming from the dugout and the front office, sometimes with all of them talking over each other at once.
Trust can be hard to come by with so much turnover, but heading into his first season at the helm, Mendoza has made himself as visible and as vocal as possible to establish it.
“He’s incredibly thoughtful,” first baseman Pete Alonso said. “He does a really good job of making sure that he has a pulse on what his players are thinking. He wants to get the most out of the guys, which is great.”
The expectations for the Mendoza-led Mets were somewhat subdued until the late spring addition of J.D. Martinez. However, the players themselves were quick to point out that projections and predictions are external. Internally, the Mets view themselves much differently.
“We have our own expectations inside the clubhouse,” closer Edwin Diaz said. “We expect to make the playoffs and win a ring. And I think we’ve got a really good team. If everyone stays healthy and we do our things in the field, I think we will have a great year.”
With the way Mendoza and president of baseball operations David Stearns operate under owner Steve Cohen, the Mets believe they are a playoff-caliber team.
Cohen has sought after Stearns, a Manhattan native and a highly respected executive who formerly worked with the Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros, for years. Last fall, Cohen finally landed his white whale.
Gone is Billy Eppler and the discord between him and Showalter. Stearns and his group have operated in a way that has been far more transparent than previous regimes. Stearns has also been pragmatic in his offseason dealing. Some felt maybe a little too pragmatic, before he signed Martinez to a one-year, $12 million contract. The addition of a bona fide power hitter quickly quieted the naysayers.
Opener postponed: The anticipation for the 2024 Mets campaign will have 24 extra hours to build.
The club announced the postponement of the Opening Day matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citi Field on Wednesday afternoon, moving the game from Thursday to Friday at 1:40 p.m. because of rain in the forecast.
Left-hander Jose Quintana will start against Freddy Peralta and the Brewers. Both of them signal a changing of the guard of sorts with their respective teams. The Mets’ rotation is no longer as star-laden as it once was, but they’re hoping a grouping of Quintana, Luis Severino, Tylor Megill, Sean Manaea and Adrian Houser can be consistent and dependable until their flashy ace, Kodai Senga, is able to start the season.