New York Mets Have No Plans to Fire Terry Collins
By David Hill
Few things have less worth than the dreaded “vote of confidence.” In the case of New York Mets manager Terry Collins, that vote of confidence may actually have merit.
It has been a dramatic fall for the defending National League Champion New York Mets. After reaching the World Series last year, the Mets are 60-61, 4.5 games out of the Wild Card spot. Yes, they have a chance at making the postseason, but given their lackluster play throughout the season, that seems farfetched.
Naturally, given their struggles this season, the blame has fallen on the coaching staff, notable manager Terry Collins. With a fan trying to get General Manager Sandy Alderson to reach out to former Padres manager Bud Black, he stated that he has “no present plans” to change the leadership of the club. While he did not state that Collins, or his staff, would survive the season, that statement may still have merit.
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Although the Mets have underperformed, given their expectations, just look at what Collins has had to deal with. David Wright and Matt Harvey struggled mightily before being lost for the year with injury. Michael Conforto did not progress as hoped, and was sent back to the minors. Other key pieces, such as Lucas Duda, Yeonis Cespedes, and Asdrubal Cabrera, have been hurt. Even Steven Matz and Jacob deGrom have been dealing with injury concerns all year, limiting their effectiveness.
That certainly does not absolve Collins from blame. His bullpen management has been questionable at best, but if that was truly a fireable offense, then Don Mattingly would have been run out of Los Angeles long before he was. Any lineup that sees James Loney in a key run producing spot, or a pitching rotation that prominently featured Logan Verrett, is suspect at best.
The very fact that the Mets are still hovering in contention is actually a testament to the job that Collins has done. Most other teams would be relegated to the bottom of the league, focusing on being ready to contend in 2017. Instead, the Mets are still within striking distance, competing on a nightly basis. Given what Collins has to work with, that is fairly remarkable.
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The New York Mets have the right person in place with Terry Collins. Sandy Alderson has it right when he says they have no plans to dismiss their manager or coaching staff.