The New York Mets announced they have fired manager Mickey Callaway after two seasons of service. He had one more year on his contract, but after coming up short when it comes to reaching the postseason, the team decided to go in a different direction.
“We want to thank Mickey for his consistent work ethic and dedication over the last two seasons and I’m certain these characteristics will serve him well in his next opportunity,” Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said in a statement via ESPN. “A decision like this is never easy, however, we believe it is in the best interest of the franchise at this time.”
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In his two seasons, Callaway went 163-161. This year, the Mets finished with an 86-76 record and he became the first manager in Mets history to get fired after finishing a season with a winning record. So why did Callaway get fired? Mike Puma of the New York Post talked to a Mets player about the former team manager and he said Callaway was not talking to players as much as he should.
“One Mets pitcher indicated Callaway was generally well-liked, but expressed disappointment the manager wasn’t a bigger presence, after vowing early in his regime to spend time in the clubhouse communicating with players,” Puma wrote. “Callaway often isolated himself in the manager’s office and delegated responsibilities to his coaches. The pitcher also believed Callaway’s pitching background would translate into more hands-on instruction with the pitchers, but that seldom occurred.”
Callaway was hired by the Mets in October 2017 from the Cleveland Indians as a pitching coach. He was brought in to turn around a Mets team that won 70 games under Terry Collins. In 2018, the Mets got off to a hot start as they won 11 of their first 12 games. But they only won five games in June and could never recover. In 2019, the Mets got off to a slow start as they were 11 games under .500 by July 11.
There were rumblings about Callaway being fired before the season came to an end. When he talked to reporters on Saturday, Callaway explained his in-game decisions that came under fire during the year.
“I put my heart and soul into this team, into this game, every single day, and I believe in those players,” Callaway said. “I make unpopular decisions every day, whether it’s unpopular to you guys or the players. And every decision I make is going to be unpopular to somebody. But I make decisions based on trying to win games and trying to keep these guys motivated to win as many games as they possibly can. And I think that in the end when you look back on it, our players played hard and continue to play hard for a reason. And I’m proud of that.”
The Mets will now start their search for a new manager. Top candidates include Joe Maddon, Joe Girardi and Buck Showalter.
