5 Reasons Why Terry Collins Shouldn't Be the Mets' Manager
The Mets hired their new manager on Tuesday, as Terry Collins was named the 20th skipper in franchise history. The Mets fired Jerry Manuel immediately following the season after two-and-a-half years in the dugout.
There were options for the Mets other than Collins, as they interviewed 10 candidates, but they went with the least known name, not giving the fans Wally Backman or Bob Melvin.
It just doesn't seem like this is the right fit for the Mets after years of struggles. There are five reasons the Mets shouldn't have hired Collins, and here they are.
Has Never Finished In First Place As Manager
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When looking for a manager to hire, you want them to have a successful background. Although Terry Collins wasn't an awful manager back in his days with the Astros and Angels, he never led his team to the playoffs.
In three seasons in Houston and two of three seasons in Anaheim, Collins' teams finished in second place.
Most of the other candidates for the job or guys who should've been interviewed had resumes with playoff appearances on them. Most notably to Mets fans, Bobby Valentine, who led the 2000 Mets to the World Series and took the team to the playoffs in 1999.
Not every manager makes the playoffs, but for a team trying to get off to a completely fresh start, it would've been nice to hire a manager with playoff experience.
He Only Received a Two-Year Contract
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This may be getting picky and some people may say "who cares," but why did Terry Collins only get a two-year contract?
The Mets eventually need to find a guy who'll be able to manage the team over a five-year span. Why is that important? Because most teams in the Mets' position, rebuilding in a way and starting from scratch in the front office, lay out five-year plans to meet specific goals.
What are the reasons behind the short-term contract? It could be because Collins is already 61 years old. It could also be that new general manager Sandy Alderson didn't have complete confidence in Collins but went with the best of the bunch.
There's always a reason a manager, especially of a team in New York, doesn't get the four-year deal. The Mets front office has put Collins in a position to be a lame duck manager, where if the team stumbles out of the gate, people will be crying out for Chip Hale or Bob Melvin to replace him.
Why do the Mets want to go through another change in two years? It'll happen if they don't make the playoffs, which they probably won't.
He Hasn't Managed In The Majors In 12 Years
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Has the average fan out there ever heard of Terry Collins? If not, there's a reason for that. It's because he hasn't managed in the big leagues in 12 years. The last time he managed an MLB team was in 1999 for the Anaheim Angels.
It's just another piece of information that should've made the Mets steer away from him. It begs the question: Why hasn't any team hired him in the last 12 years?
The way the game is played and the way players act on the field and in the clubhouse is totally different in this era.
Just think that the last time he managed in the big leagues, the Diamondbacks and Devil Rays were only in their second seasons. He hasn't managed a game in the 21st century.
The Mets will go ahead and let you know that he was their minor league field coordinator last season, but what does that mean? He hasn't been around big league players a whole lot and doesn't know a single thing about the way big league games are played nowadays.
There were plenty of other candidates that managed as recently as 2009 like Bob Melvin. There was no point in hiring a guy who last managed over a decade ago.
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Mets Should've Hired a "Brand Name" Manager
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Ever since Bobby Valentine left after the 2002 season, the Mets haven't had a manager you'd call "brand name."
Art Howe had had some success in Oakland when he came over in 2003 but wasn't a big deal. Willie Randolph had never managed before the Mets hired him in 2005, and Jerry Manuel had one good season with the White Sox before he took over in the middle of 2008.
Now, the Mets hire Terry Collins who was average at best in his six seasons from 1994-1999 and has been out of the loop for a dozen years.
The Mets fan base has been suffering over the past four seasons. Ever since Carlos Beltran took "strike three" to end Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, Mets fans have had nothing but disappointment and heartbreak to endure.
Since moving to Citi Field in 2009, attendance has been way down, and the team has had a losing record.
Although the general manager of a team can't always hire who the fans want, Sandy Alderson could've at least gone with a well-known guy.
At the top of the list was Wally Backman. He has never managed before in the big leagues, but Mets fans like him from his days on the 1986 championship team.
Bob Melvin would've also been a good hire. He led the Diamondbacks to the NLCS out of nowhere in 2007 and managed from 2003 until the beginning of 2009. He was awarded the 2007 NL Manager of the Year honor and obviously has experience in managing recently, along with succeeding.
Terry Collins won't fire anyone up until positive results are shown.
He Lost a Clubhouse so Bad That He Resigned
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When it happens once, maybe you can understand. But when it happens twice in two separate countries, there must be a problem. Terry Collins had to resign in the middle of two seasons with a major league team and Japanese team.
When was the last time any manager stepped down in the middle of a season, let alone doing it twice?
Collins was fired from the Astros after the 1996 season following a late-season collapse. The team was 1.5 games out of first place with 14 games to play before losing nine straight to fall below .500 and out of contention.
That kind of stretch seems awfully familiar. Well, that's because the Mets did something like that themselves two straight seasons. Why fire two managers in a row for being the leaders of late-season collapses and then hire a guy who led one himself?
Now, concerning the resignations, Collins stepped down on two occasions. The first time was as manager of the Anaheim Angels in 1999. With 29 games to play, sitting at 51-82 after suffering a bunch of injuries, Collins lost the respect of his players.
Players on the team petitioned general manager Bill Bavasi to fire him, as most are led to believe Mo Vaughn was the guy who wanted him out most, and therefore Collins stepped down.
The 2009 Mets had more injuries than any team in memory that season and were also losing frequently, but Jerry Manuel didn't resign. That just doesn't happen. So, what was up with Collins in the clubhouse?
He then stepped down as manager of the Japanese League's Orix Buffaloes in May 2008 as the team suffered through many injuries to the pitching staff and a record of 21-28. When he left, though, the team bounced back to finish the season in second place.
All of the aforementioned developments should've helped the Mets stay away from this kind of manager. Collins stepping down twice doesn't make him look like a good guy in the clubhouse. Maybe that's why no team hired him in the last 12 years.
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