New York Mets: Mickey Callaway changing the culture and going outside the box

Mickey Callaway is already bringing a new culture and way of thinking to the New York Mets.

After the New York Mets fell to a 92 loss season in 2017, Mickey Callaway was brought in to replace Terry Collins as manager of the team. After a successful run that led the team to one World Series appearance, the Mets have moved Collins into the front office as a special assistant to Sandy Alderson. They felt it was time for a change in the on-field leadership.

That is often the reason a coaching change is made in any sport. They say that any coach/manager eventually loses his voice with the team. The team, after a while, basically stops listening to that coach. The message has become played out or stale and is no longer heard by the team. So we begin a new era for the Mets.

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In comes Mickey Callaway. He is a former pitching coach and he is pumped to work with our crop of pitchers. So excited, in fact, that he stated during his press conference (via Rising Apple) that it is his fault if the Mets don’t contend right away in 2017.

Talk about culture change. That is EXACTLY what is here. The pitchers were given an offseason workout schedule for the first time. It does make you wonder what Dan Warthen had this group doing in previous off-seasons. But anyway.

Callaway has also talked about not having a true closer when the 2018 season begins. He wants to make the pitching decisions based upon the situation, not what some unwritten rules say about who is “supposed” to pitch. What a concept, huh? It’s a new way of thinking and it’s a SMART way of thinking.

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The lack of convention in Callaway’s thinking moves into the lineup as well. There are reports that he is considering hitting Todd Frazier in the leadoff spot. Weird, right? With a closed mind the answer to that would be yes. With an open mind, it’s not weird, it’s different.

To achieve greatness you must swing for the fences. You cannot be conservative. Callaway is looking to do just that with his out of the box thinking. He is trying to get the Mets to see themselves and the team differently. Hopefully it will translate on the field.

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