The Mets will be relying heavily on their pitchers this season, and will have a pair of strong coaches to help them out.

Mickey Callaway is excited to work with the pitching staff, but don’t sleep on new pitching coach Dave Eiland, who is already gaining respect at Mets camp, according to Kevin Kernan of the New York Post.

“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 played with Callaway during their time with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999. Now reunited, they are always talking and swapping 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.’’

The two know they will have a tall task in preventing and mitigating injuries. Eiland said they are going to “err on the side of caution” with the guys, but don’t want to baby them too much because they still need to get ready to go.

“You’re running a guy out there every night you feel you are going to win the game with — as a pitching coach, it’s kind of the situation you want to be in. But that being said, it’s my job to prepare them most mentally and physically,’’ Eiland said.

“If these guys don’t pitch up to their capabilities, it’s on me. I’ll take responsibility for that. I will be the first one to take the heat if they don’t get it done.’’

To read the rest of Kernan’s piece, click here.