Former Mets general manager Omar Minaya is happy for all the recent success the Mets have enjoyed, but also for what he sees as a bright future for the organization.
In an interview with Mike Puma of the NY Post, Minaya praised the scouts and development people who drafted or signed most of the Mets players that now form the nucleus of a young Mets team on the verge of a vibrant longterm outlook.
“I feel good for the development people and the scouts,” said Minaya, who is serving the Padres in a similar role on an interim basis. “You feel good for those guys, because the scouts find them and the development people bring them along.”
Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy, Ruben Tejada, Juan Lagares, Dillon Gee, Jon Niese, Jacob deGrom, Jenrry Mejia, Jeurys Familia, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Eric Campbell are all products of Minaya’s regime with the Mets, which lasted from 2005-10. In addition, Matt Harvey and Bobby Parnell, both of whom are recovering from Tommy John surgery, arrived during Minaya’s tenure.
Minaya was smiling when he watched Daniel Murphy make his first All-Star Game appearance on Tuesday. Only Andrew McCutchen has more hits in the major leagues than the Mets second baseman over the last two seasons. “He’s such an intense competitor and a player, he’s non-stop. I’m very happy for him.”
Juan Lagares is another player Minaya takes pride in. The gifted outfielder was signed as a 17-year-old from the Dominican Republic.
He has blossomed into one of the game’s elite defensive center fielders while batting .297, leading the team with a 3.0 WAR and posting a 110 OPS+.
“He was just such a good athlete. He was an athlete, and when we had our rankings early on, his athleticism was right up there with Jose Reyes and Carlos Gomez.”
Minaya says he isn’t thumping his chest in search of vindication as the Mets roll into San Diego with great expectations flaunting a roster he mostly founded.
“I don’t think that way,” Minaya said. “You do your job, and when teams don’t win in New York, people’s opinions are a product of it.
“We felt very comfortable and believed we had a plan in place to get athletes, to get good players to the major leagues, and it’s an organization, not just one person. Part of it has been [vice president of development and amateur scouting] Paul DePodesta and Sandy Alderson. They are part of bringing these guys along. It’s not an individual thing.”
It’s always nice to check in on Omar whenever we play the Padres, he was always a class act and he must be proud to see some of his prospects begin to make such a positive impact on the team and it’s future. More often than not, it takes more than 2-3 years to see the kind of impact a general manager has made on a franchise and how lasting his legacy truly is.
