Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns gave a vote of confidence today to rookie manager Carlos Mendoza, who has shown a willingness to use his gut in his first month on the job.
On Manager Carlos Mendoza
“I think one of the things that made Mendy so appealing throughout the interview process was his ability to read situations,” Stearns said at a pre-game news conference at Citi Field. “That’s both in-game and in a clubhouse with people. Understand how human beings are going to react in different situations.
“And I think we’ve seen that play out over the first month of the season both in terms of how he’s managing the clubhouse and how he’s managing in-game. And so this is what we expected. I think he’s doing a really good job.”
In yesterday’s 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, Mendoza stuck with starting pitcher José Quintana through eight innings when many skippers may have opted to go to the bullpen. It paid off. But, a reporter asked, what if it didn’t?
“So if the decision doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean that anything went wrong,” Stearns said. “So I think the conversation that occurs is the same whether the decision works or doesn’t work. We talk about the decision-making process, not the outcome.”
Stearns said that Mendoza was hired to make tough calls: “That’s the job of major-league manager, and so we hired him because we believe he’s very well situated to do that, and I think he’s proven that.”
Mendoza said he “will always (be) willing to use information, but I’m gonna use my instincts as well. Yesterday was not an easy situation. Not an easy decision. I’m not gonna lie.”
He said he liked the lefty’s conviction and the way he was throwing the ball. He has told the starters that sometimes he will be aggressive with removing them, and sometimes he won’t. “I think every situation is unique, and you just got to have that feel for the game and use the info that is available.”
On Kodai Sengai
Stearns also said that he expects the Mets ace to return the last week of May or early June. He is eligible to come off the injured list on May 27. More will be known after Senga throws a few more live sessions, and the team can plot a rehabilitation schedule.
Senga, who faced live batters today, said as long as things continue to go well, he would be back around that time.
“I was able to check my velo with hitters in there vs. bullpen,” he said through a Japanese interpreter. “I was able to get up to mid-90s, so I was pretty happy with that.”
On Christian Scott
“I think Christian’s done everything we could have hoped and expected,” Stearns said. “He continues to throw the ball very well.”
Stearns said there is a “balancing act” between when a prospect is ready and when the club needs him, and the Mets are “waiting for that intersection to occur.”
Scott is 3-0 with a 3.20 ERA and 0.71 WHIP at Syracuse. He has fanned 36 batters in 25 1/3 innings.
