How does New York Mets manager Terry Collins stack up against the rest of the competition?
By Justin Weiss
Terry Collins has been the victim of some substantial wrath over the past few years, but surprisingly led the New York Mets to the 2015 World Series.
So where does the veteran skipper rank among baseball’s best? According to Nick Cafardo, who annually ranks the league’s managers, Collins checks in as the seventh best in the Majors:
No. 7: Terry Collins, Mets — The job he did leading the Mets, with a young pitching staff, to the World Series was a testament to the perseverance he’s shown in his long career, as well as the lessons learned.
Cafardo recognizes Collins for his perseverance and the handling of his rotation, and also notes the lessons he’s learned since his first managing gig with the Houston Astros in 1994.
Collins is often acknowledged as one of the last old-school managers in the league, including by myself in an article for Rising Apple:
“The “lifer,” who thanks to the evolution of baseball probably shouldn’t even be in the Major Leagues, has in-the-trenches knowledge and gut feelings, something that is awfully scarce nowadays.
What Collins did as manager of the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels doesn’t exist anymore, with the exception of the unconventional Mets decision-maker.
His hard-driving personality and competitiveness is something reminiscent of the way Jim Leyland used to coach his teams.
What Collins has done in 2015 is remarkable.
Handed a lackluster lineup in the first half of the season, Collins’ team displayed resilience and a blatant desire to win throughout.
Pitted against the Nationals’ plethora of arms, Collins’s squad did what they always do: hang in there.
Sure, there were some slumps, some thoughts of a revolt and some sounds of a fuming fanbase. But throughout it all — the good and the bad — New York battled, encroaching on the World Series.
He out-managed reigning NL Manager of the Year Matt Williams, now former Dodgers skipper and former All-Star first baseman Don Mattingly, and Cubs decision-maker Joe Maddon, all of whom have been typically regarded as some of the craftier managers in the game.”
He was recently inked to a two-year deal.
In 11 years as a Major League manager, Collins owns a 838-850 record. He hadn’t made the playoffs as a skipper prior to 2015.
