New York Mets introduce giddy Luis Rojas as next manager

Familiarity with players

You can see the formal introduction of Rojas as the manager was official when he was given number 19. A big drop from the number 60 he wore last season. That’s always a good indication that someone is sticking with the team for a while.

Watching the new manager on TV was like seeing a giddy kid in a candy store with his face covered in chocolate. You could not see a more proud individual before the press corp oozing love and pride for the Mets. Truly a dream come true for a man that has been a loyal soldier to the Mets organization for over a decade.

But if you are still not happy about Luis Rojas as a manager, consider these facts. Players that came up through the minor leagues with Rojas lobbied for him to get the job. Additionally, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, mentioned on MLB Network that former client Robinson Cano has Van Wagenen’s ear and elder statesman may have pushed Rojas’ hiring.

Also, with Spring Training just a couple of weeks away a celebrity manager was not feasible. Someone with that type of background wasn’t going to assimilate to the Mets business model. Instead, they would likely have implemented their own system, which is not what the Mets wanted. Not this close to pitchers and catchers reporting.