Most if not all Mets fans have some sort of complaint with Mets manager Terry Collins. Whether it’s his management of the bullpen, not pinch-running/hitting in certain situations, or his clubhouse presence, many people find some way to disagree with him somehow. While there are things he does very well, MLB Network seems to be agreeing with the Mets’ disgruntled fans.

MLB Network was ranking all the managers in the Bigs and had Terry at the bottom of the heap at #27 in front of only Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia, and Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. Ken Rosenthal was present and had this to say about the bottom of the list.

“The names toward the bottom are generally names that most fans, observers, probably executives would say are the names that should be at the bottom,” Rosenthal said. “But, at the same time, it’s difficult. Certainly when you have a team with high expectations that doesn’t play well, as Matheny’s team is right now, you can say, ‘yes, that might be on the manager.’ That team is not just under-performing, they’re playing a poor brand of baseball.”

While Rosenthal was talking about the Cardinals, what he said can certainly be applied to the Mets, a team that expected to be in the World Series but is eight games under .500 in June.

“We’ve got to continue to coach and continue to get better,” Collins said after last night’s loss. “This is what the game is about right now. When you got a down time, you’ve got to get back to the drawing board and start over and do a better job coaching.”

Collins is the oldest manager in the game. Saying he’s got to start over and do a better job coaching after all these years of doing it a certain way is easier said than done. Should the Mets try teaching this old dog new tricks, or should they just get a younger dog?

One of the ways many people evaluate players is WAR, wins above replacement. What would Terry Collin’s mWAR be, meaning his managerial wins above replacement? How many games would the Mets have won with a different manager? A manager that used the bullpen differently or pinch ran in different situations. Would the Mets be a .500 team at this point? In first place? Who knows.

This team is trying to win a World Series. Should Sandy Alderson settle for the 27th best starting rotation? The 27th best closer? If Sandy had the 27th best first baseman in the game, he would make a change to win ballgames. The manager wears the same uniform as the players, he should be considered as much a part of the team as the center fielder. He makes decisions that directly affect the outcome of the game.

A World Series team does not have someone ranking 27th best at any position. They don’t have holes on their team. Until Sandy Alderson realizes that having a good manager should be considered as important as having a good player at the other positions, the Mets will not be able to make it as far as they could with a manager that at the very least cracks the top 15.