New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway told reporters (DiComo, MLB.com) that he “expects his entire coaching staff to return next season” adding that “I’m proud of everything they’ve all done.
The first-year skipper’s coaching staff consists of pitching coach Dave Eiland, hitting coach Pat Roessler, assistant hitting coach Tom Slater, bench coach Gary Disarcina, first-base coach Ruben Amaro Jr., third-base coach Glenn Sherlock, and bullpen coaches Ricky Bones, Dave Racaniello, and Eric Langill.
Eiland saw his pupils, particularly the Mets’ starting rotation (their 3.58 earned-run average was sixth-best in MLB), excel, and found a few bullpen gems in Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman, both of whom were initially tabbed as middle-to-back-end starters.
Roessler took some heat over the first half of the year for the Mets’ inefficiencies at the plate (.685 team OPS pre-All-Star break), but the team turned things around over the second half of the season (.727 team OPS), which likely bode well for his future with the organization.
Tim Britton of The Athletic reports that Mets COO Jeff Wilpon gave no assurances regarding any of these decisions, including whether Callaway will return, until a new general manager is hired, but expressed “the recommendation from ownership will be for [Callaway] to return.”
The team was 39-55 at the mid-July All-Star break and heads into Sunday’s season finale with a 37-30 record since then. To this writer, it seems like Mickey Callaway and his staff have earned themselves another shot and righting this ship.
