Since their 11-game winning streak in April, the Mets have gone 23-32. In that span they squandered a dozen excellent pitching performances that they should have won.
The team has lost all semblance of the fundamentally sound team we saw in April, and players look lost at the plate either striking out or hitting lazy grounders and fly balls. The team was never good defensively, but lately its been exponentially worse.
Despite all that, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that organizational officials have insisted Terry Collins’ job as manager is not in any jeopardy.
“Though Collins is unsigned beyond this season and would be an easy scapegoat, there is a “we’re all in it together” sense within the organization, according to a source, as the front office and manager work toward finding a solution to the team’s dreadful offensive production.”
Puma adds that the Mets officials he’s spoken with all continue to view the glass as half full, noting despite an outlandish number of injuries, the club has managed to stay above .500 and was first in the division as recently as Saturday.
Joel Sherman, on the other hand, suggests now is the time to replace Collins with Wally Backman because this is the easiest way to “throw red meat” to the true believers.
By dismissing Collins and hiring Backman, Sherman says the Mets can find out if his fiery persona could defibrillate these Mets, especially from their growing ledger of mental miscues.
If in fact the Mets were to make the switch, they’ll get a half-season to judge Backman without any future commitment.
And if he succeeds, Sherman says they would have their future manager and can probably pay him whatever they want. Something that would certainly appeal to ownership.
Another candidate who gets a lot less airtime than he should is Pedro Lopez, currently the manager of the Double-A Binghamton Mets.
Lopez, like Backman, is a brilliant strategist between the white lines and is just as well respected by his players as Wally is.
Either way you go you’re getting leaders who are focused on winning and known to be excellent motivators and stickers for sound baseball fundamentals.
The difference between the two is the baggage and Backman’s reputation for being a loose cannon.
