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New York Mets: Mickey Callaway deserves to return in 2020

By Dylan Smith

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 6: Manager Mickey Callaway of the New York Mets looks over in the dugout before an MLB baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 6, 2019 at Citi Field in the Queens borough of New York City. Mets won 5-4. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 6: Manager Mickey Callaway of the New York Mets looks over in the dugout before an MLB baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 6, 2019 at Citi Field in the Queens borough of New York City. Mets won 5-4. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /
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Does Mickey Callaway deserve to return to the New York Mets in 2020? The club failed to make the playoffs in 2019 but they finished with a respectable record of 86-76.

Mickey Callaway deserves to return to the New York Mets in 2020. Many Mets’ fans will disagree as Callaway’s time in New York has been defined by questionable managerial decisions and underperformance. The Amazins’ have had playoff asperations over Callway’s first two seasons but have fallen short of expectations. We can’t deny these facts but there have also been extenuating circumstances for which Callaway is not responsible. He can only work with the roster that he is given.

The Amazins’ finished 2019 with 86 wins, which is not bad for a club that was 11 games below .500 on July 12. The Mets played great under Callaway over the final months of the season as they operated far from what was initially envisioned by Brodie Van Wagenen (BVW) at the beginning of the season.

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The Mets’ offseason was headlined by the notable acquisitions of Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia, and Robinson Cano, who all struggled throughout a majority of the season. The team also dealt with the lengthy absences of Cano, Brandon Nimmo, Dominic Smith Luis Avilan, Justin Wilson and Robert Gsellman.

We also have to remember that Jed Lowrie and Yoenis Cespedes were also under contract in 2019. The players have made it clear that they enjoy playing for Mickey Callaway and he deserves a chance to lead a fully operational club in 2020. If anything, this season should be a clear sign that BVW needs to beef up the bullpen as their thin depth forced Callaway to rely solely on the reliable arms of Justin Wilson and Seth Lugo down the stretch of the season.

The Amazins’ offensive depth proved to be a great strength but BVW has some major work to do as one could argue that the Mets were a healthy and effective Familia and Diaz away from a playoff berth.

Endorsing Mickey Callaway would be a move of continuation, which is important when attempting to build a winning culture. The 2019 Mets were not a 90 win team, which became clear throughout the season. It is up to BVW to take the Mets from 86-90+ wins.

Firing Mickey Callaway would tear down an environment which contributed to the success and development of Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, J.D. Davis and of course, Jacob deGrom. This is an extremely important aspect to consider as the Mets will enter 2020 with a young core that they haven’t had since the days of Wright, Reyes, and Beltran.

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We shouldn’t praise Mickey Callaway for the performance of the 2019 New York Mets, but he should not be held accountable. In July, the 2019 season was written off as a disaster for the Mets. Now that we have reached the end of the season, do we still think that 2019 was a disaster? Personally, I am excited to see if the New York Mets can continue their competitive play in 2020.

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