Luis Rojas

Current Position: Mets Quality Control Coach (2019 – present)

Age: 9/1/81 (38)

Managerial Experience: 2017 – 2018 Binghamton (AA), 2015 – 2016 St. Lucie (A+), 2012 – 2014 Savannah (A), 2011 Gulf Coast

When you are a part of the Alou family, baseball is in your blood. That is espeically the case with Luis Rojas, who is the son of former MLB player and Mets coach Felipe Alou. He is also the brother of former Mets player Moises Alou. Growing up was the early stages of what may lead towards the path of him becoming the Mets next manager.

On his upbringing, Rojas would say, “Growing up in that environment was very impactful, very influential in my baseball growth. Just being born in a baseball atmosphere, right away opening my eyes on baseball from the beginning of my understanding was just really helpful. Right away, I wanted to follow my brothers’ steps. I wanted to follow the family’s steps.” (Anthony DiComo, MLB.com).

That path took him to the Mets organization as a minor league manager. In that role, he has been entasked with developing Mets prospects into Major League players. Current Mets players he coached in the minors include Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, Jacob deGrom, Brandon Nimmo, Amed Rosario, and others.

Seeing the impact Rojas has had on the Mets minor league players, it was suggested to then new Mets General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen Rojas be promoted to the Mets minor league staff. Van Wagenen, who is now saying he wants a strong leader as the next manager said of Rojas, “Luis was recommended to me as one of the brightest stars of our player development system and his leadership qualities were evident to me the first time I met him.” (Mike Puma, New York Post).

The Mets created a new position for him – Quality Control Coach.In that job, he was responsible for not just for communicating the data from the front office to the players, but he was also responsible for communicating the information and strategies from the front office with the coaching staff.

In essence, you could say this past year was an apprenticeship of sorts for Rojas. He became familiar with what information this front office valued, and he has an understanding of how the front office wants the manager to utilize that data. Moreover, he was in the dugout and clubhouse not only discussing this, but also seeing how it was and should be implemented.

This may be part of the reason why when Callaway was on the hot seat in June, there were rumors the team might bypass bench coach Jim Riggleman to give Rojas the job. Of course, another reason was the team views Rojas as a “rising star.” (Puma, New York Post).

Overall, you can see why the Mets feel that way. He is able to process and explain data. He forms strong bonds with his players, and he is able to help develop them. He’s also seen as a strong leader. Couple that with his being a baseball lifer and his bloodlines, and you realize sooner or later he’s going to be a good Major League manager.

What The Players Say:

Pete Alonso – (speaking about a Nick Sergakis homer)  “He was jumping up and down, arms waving in the air. I honestly think Luis was happier than Nick.”

Moises Alou – “Luis loves baseball. He breathes baseball. He was like that from the time he was young. I’ve always said, and it’s not just me, that Luis will one day be a Major League manager.” (Nathalie Alonso, MLB.com).

Jeff McNeil – “I think he’d be a great big league manager. He knows the game really well. He comes from a big baseball family. His emotions [are] real calm. He gets along well with the players. He’s just a baseball guy. I think he’d be a tremendous manager.”

Recommendation:

While you may typically be concerned about how a 38 year old could handle managing a Major League team, fact is Rojas has already managed many of these players. Moreover, many of these players are in this position partially due to Rojas’ ability to communicate and coach.

He’s been in that Mets clubhouse for a year now, and he’s been able to develop relationships with the players. In his role, he also has developed a relationship with the front office. Considering his name is being floated as a candidate to replace Mickey Callaway, it would seem he’s developed the trust of everyone.

Overall, Rojas knows this roster, and he knows what’s expected of the manager. He has managerial experience with his managing many of the current Mets players. When you boil it all down, short of the Mets hiring a big name manager like Joe Girardi, it would seem Rojas is the best man for the job. Arguably, Rojas would be an even better choice than those big names.