New York Mets: Winners and Losers from Opening Week

Winner: Mickey Callaway

In his first week as New York Mets manager, Mickey Callaway’s team came away with two series victories. While it is too early to judge Callaway’s effectiveness as a manager, starting 4-1 gives him room to breathe.

It is no easy task being the manager of an MLB franchise, especially one in New York. So far, Callaway seems to have handled the spotlight well. It appears he has the full support of the clubhouse, his staff, and the fan base, which is of utmost importance for a new manager. In a city that is eager for a successful season, Callaway has a lot riding on him in his first year. With other newly hired managers Aaron Boone and Gabe Kapler already feeling the heat of being big market managers, Callaway has done enough to consider himself a winner in the first week of the season.

Callaway has had early decisions pay off for him. Due to a rainout, Callaway decided to skip Seth Lugo’s start, which was a questionable one at the time. The decision seemed to have paid off though, as Callaway used Lugo in relief of Tuesday’s affair and he pitched brilliantly. Also, as discussed earlier, batting Rosario in the No. 9 spot has proven to work so far. While there are debates over the effectiveness of batting the pitcher eighth, it is clear that Callaway’s young star shortstop has benefited.

Next: Mickey Callaway needs to be careful with bullpen use

Callaway has also questionably limited the starting pitchers’ length in the first week, leading to a lot of work for the bullpen. Callaway could be protecting the valuable (and delicate) arms of his starting pitchers early in the season, but it will be hard to do so moving forward. At some point, Callaway will have to let his starters loose and the team trusts that he will do so at the right time.