Mets manager Mickey Callaway has endured a roller coaster like season, but interim general manager John Ricco gave him a vote of confidence on Friday.
While former general manager Sandy Alderson, who stepped down from his role last month due to health concerns, was the one who hired Callaway, Ricco said he was a big part of bringing him aboard.
“My perspective hasn’t changed at all,” Ricco said prior to Friday’s game, according to the New York Post. “Obviously, I was a big part in bringing Mickey on board. I have a lot of confidence in him.”
The Mets are 35-49 going into Saturday, and while the first time manager has had his share of problems with decision making, it would be unfair to thrust all the blame of a bad season on him.
“A rookie manager coming in, there’s been some growing pains. The team has obviously not performed as well as we hoped it would, but that hasn’t changed my view of Mickey at all,” Ricco continued. “We’d like it all to happen overnight, but we’ve got to have some patience in some areas.
“We certainly want to win more and we need to win more, but just specifically about Mickey, I’m really excited about the job he’s doing, about the dialogue we’re having and about the future.”
Earlier this week, Callaway spoke to the New York Post about his job security, and said that he would like his future to be with the Mets, but realizes things are out of his control. He also spoke about how he doesn’t want to change his managerial style.
“I want to learn and adjust, but I just don’t want to change for the perception of things,” Callaway said. “If I change and things don’t work out, how would I look myself in the mirror?”
For the time being, Callaway is safe. If the Mets bring in an external general manager next year, things could change, but overall, Callaway should be on the bottom of the list of people to blame for New York’s struggles.
