The New York Mets have announced the hiring of Tony Tarasco to become their new first base coach for the 2021 season. Tarasco will also be tasked with coaching duties for the outfield and baserunning next season.
The 50-year-old is a former player, who spent eight seasons in the majors playing for the Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees. Back in 2002, Tarasco played 60 games for the Mets, hitting .250/.305/.490, with six home runs and 15 RBI. That would be the final season of his big league career.
After his playing career, Tarasco took a job working in the Washington Nationals organization at the minor league level. He spent a decade with Washington, ultimately rising to the position of first base coach in 2013. He spent three seasons in that role, before moving on to take a job outside the Nationals organization.
Tarasco has spent the last five years working for the San Diego Padres as their Minor League High Performance and Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator. He also managed their Class-A Lake Elsinore Storm team in 2019.
In 2017, Tarasco managed the Charros de Jalisco in the Mexican Pacific League. During his time managing in Mexico, Tarasco insisted on the hiring of Anton Dahbura to be a data analytics consultant. The New York Times wrote a feature on Dahbura back in 2018, where Tarasco is mentioned throughout.
Having another coach on Luis Rojas’ staff that has an understanding of the analytics can only be beneficial for the Mets moving forward. Especially when it comes to his work coaching baserunning and the outfield.
With Tarasco taking over as the first base coach, Tony DeFrancesco will move on to a different role in the organization as a senior advisor to player development and scouting. DeFrancesco spent just one season as the Mets first base coach in 2020.
