Despite having two years to assess him as the team’s manager, the Mets still have not been able to make a decision on the future of Mickey Callaway. While you may want to perceive the team having organizational meetings without him as a sign he is not returning, it should also be noted Fred Wilpon had a personal meeting with Callaway to discuss future plans for the bullpen.
Therein lies the rub. As was the case with Terry Collins, the decision to keep or fire Callaway will always reside with the Wilpons. While many believe he should be fired, there are still reasons to keep him.
From the Wilpons perspective, firing Callaway would require the team to pay two managers. Since the Wilpons have assumed sole control of the franchise, this is not how they have operated the team.
Consider for a moment, the Mets previous managers, Jerry Manuel and Collins, managed until the end of their contracts before the team went in another direction. At the moment, Callaway has another year on his contract, which could give the Wilpons the reason they need to keep a manager they may want to keep in place.
Callaway has also proven to be a perfect foil for the franchise. Many times, Callaway is left holding the bag for decisions made by other people in the organization, and he catches all the heat. As a case in point, we know Brodie Van Wagenen has been texting in-game decisions to Callaway, and yet, Callaway continues to catch heat for the moves. More than that, he stands up and accepts the blame for those decisions – whether he or someone else made the decision.
One of the reasons why the team may want to keep him in place is the team finished the season strong in back-to-back years giving fans hope and providing the team with a springboard to push a narrative the team is on the cusp of contending.
Of course, part of the reason the Mets have had strong finishes to each season is Callaway has seemingly had the pulse of the clubhouse. In consecutive years, he had the team playing hard all season long despite the odds. This year, that almost lead to the team overcoming being 10 games under .500 at the break to winning a Wild Card.
An element to the Mets having strong finishes is how well the young players developing under Callaway with many of those young players exceeding expectations.
Brandon Nimmo was seen as a fourth outfielder, and now, he is one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball. Jeff McNeil was viewed as just a second baseman who may not be more than depth to an All-Star. Pete Alonso surpassed every expectation, both realistic and unrealistic.
In addition to that, Amed Rosario turned the corner in the second half. Dominic Smith went from benched during Spring Training and dropping on the depth chart last year to a productive player. Luis Guillorme emerged as a real option as a pinch hitter and back-up middle infielder.
The young players who have lived up to and exceeded their potential under Callaway exceeds the aforementioned players. Even if someone didn’t want to give Callaway credit for this, it is hard to deny he has at least created an environment which fosters development.
While these factors may be important, the biggest reason the Mets may keep Callaway is the pitching staff. The Mets are built on pitching, and as a team, they are going to rise and fall on their starting pitching. What makes that a scary proposition is with the Mets depth, there is little o no margin of error.
For two years running, Callaway has largely kept the starting pitching staff healthy. Steven Matz, the most injury prone pitcher on the team, has made 30 starts in consecutive years. Zack Wheeler has pitched 180 innings in consecutive years. Looking a bit past the starting staff, Seth Lugo, who has a torn UCL, has avoided a significant injury for two years running.
Speaking of this group, Callaway has gotten a lot out of this pitching staff. Jacob deGrom has been at another level and is on the cusp of winning his second straight Cy Young. Wheeler has finally lived up to his potential, and Matz is right on the cusp of it. Lugo has become Andrew Miller making him arguably the best reliever in baseball.
Certainly, if the Mets continue to plan on pitching being their path to the World Series, Callaway can prove to continue to be an asset as the manager. Money aside, even with the number of issues people will rightfully want to bring up, that could be the biggest reason why Callaway could return in 2020.
