Adam Rubin, of the New York Daily News, is reporting that the New York Mets are close to naming former minor league manager and Arizona Diamondbacks base coach, Chip Hale, as their new third base coach.
The 44 year-old, Hale, spent parts of seven seasons in the big leagues. Over the span of 575 career at-bats, he hit .277 along with seven home runs and 78 RBI.
One can only hope that this move will decrease the number of Mets players getting thrown out at the plate, which was a problem for the team last season.
Being that Hale was also a minor league manager, he could work well with the younger players on the team, such as Bobby Parnell and Daniel Murphy.
Another interesting note that Rubin points out is the Mets are considering bringing in ex-Arizona manager, Bob Melvin, to be the Jerry Manuel’s bench coach.
Melvin held the managerial position in Arizona from 2005 up until May of last season when he was let go due to the team getting off to a weak start.
Melvin’s highlight with the organization was leading the Diamondbacks to the NLCS in 2007.
You have to wonder where Razor Shines, the former third base coach and friend of Jerry Manuel, ends up after all this considering the fact that he had been rumored to be the leading candidate for the bench coach job next year.
Personally, I wouldn’t be all that upset if Razor was let go because despite the fact that he brought a positive dynamic to the team, he simply wasn’t a very good coach.
More importantly, though, is that if Bob Melvin does indeed come to the Mets, it is definitely not a good sign for the Mets skipper, who already was on a very short leash for next year. Now with a proven major league manager waiting in the wings Jerry Manuel may not be able to escape a prolonged losing streak.
All in all, I am in favor of both of these potential hirings, as these two individuals bring a bevy of major league experience with them and could help work on the team’s fundamentals, an area that needs a great deal of work.
