Fresh York — After Carlos Mendoza talked about the influence former Yankees captain and ex-Mets manager Willie Randolph had on his career, you might as well put animated, illuminated light bulbs over every member of the media’s head.
“Willie Randolph, who I consider a friend, has taught me a lot over the past few years,” Mendoza remarked on Tuesday at Citi Field during his first press conference as manager of the Mets. “I don’t know if he realizes it, but this guy has had a significant influence on my coaching career.”
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Mendoza did not completely rule out the possibility of Randolph serving as his bench coach in the scrum when pressed.
“Well, when I made reference to [Willie Randolph], I was pretty vocal.” I think of this person not just as a mentor but also as a friend, and we get along really well,” Mendoza remarked. As I mentioned earlier, there are several names that we are currently considering; we’ll see where it goes.
Only pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, who joined the team under Luis Rojas in 2020, is guaranteed to be back for the 2024 campaign under Mendoza. We have not yet decided on the remaining personnel.
One thing Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns made clear is that hiring coaches will be a team effort.
“It’s a collaborative process and I think that’s the way it should be,” Stearns said. “[Carlos Mendoza] does and will have a huge voice in it. I’m going to offer my opinions as well.”That keeps Randolph in play – at least for now.
The Mets hired Randolph to be their manager in Nov. 2004. Under him, the team posted a 302-253 record with one postseason appearance, where the Mets came within one game of making it to the World Series, in 2006.
He changed his position when Joel Sherman of The New York Post asked him to comment on the possibility.
Randolph informed Sherman that all he had told Mendoza to do was to get his family to New York, settle in, and keep in the back of his mind that he was always available. “I love Carlos Mendoza.”EXTRA METS REPORTS
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