Come Wednesday, Joe Girardi will be attempting to manage the New York Yankees into the ALCS while the New York Mets wait in the wings.
Joe Girardi has been the manager of the New York Yankees for the better part of a decade and added a World Series trophy to the organization’s case in that time. On Wednesday night in Cleveland, he will look to manage his team move to the ALCS.With his contract expiring at season’s end, Girardi is managing for his future at this point, but that future might not be with the Yankees because there’s no guarantee either side wants a reunion.
Yankees fans have been especially animated about cutting bait with Girardi after his Game 2 challenge fiasco. Girardi did go on to admit he made a hefty mistake and ultimately may have cost the team a win.
But sans his Game 2 mistake, Girardi has been a top manager in baseball during his Yankees tenure. He’s amassed a 910-710 record with the Yankees and has never managed a team with less than 84 wins, even after enduring multiple “semi-rebuilding” seasons.
Recent reports have suggested that Girard’s time in the Bronx could be on the back nine.
There are distinct talents Girardi possesses as a manager that set him apart and make him worthy of the top spot on the Mets shortlist of candidates. One of his most revered strengths these past two years has been his management of his young stars.
Players like Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Dellin Betances, and Luis Severino come to mind. His lineup changes aided Judge during his horrendous midseason slump this year and he consistently attempts to get Betances into favorable spots due to his inconsistency.
He also showed immense trust in Severino starting him in the Wild Card game and then coming back with him in a win or go home Game 4. This ability to effectively manage youth is relevant to the Mets needs moving forward.
The team’s young core will be built around Michael Conforto, Noah Syndergaard, Amed Rosario, Brandon Nimmo and Dominic Smith. It will be imperative that these young, talented cornerstones receive proper management moving forward.
The next priority for the Mets will be bullpen management, which happens to be an area that Girardi excels at.
Bullpen management was a notable weakness of Terry Collin’s Mets tenure, and the group looks headed for a facelift this offseason.
And finally Girardi has time and time again proven his ability to handle veterans. He dealt with the Core Four’s retirements, which presented different challenges in each individual case.
He also went on to deal with the deterioration of Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez and was able to get the players to buy into less playing time and the youth movement.
This type of management would be beneficial for veteran players on the Mets such as Yoenis Cespedes and Asdrubal Cabrera.
Even though Joe Girardi would cost the Mets a hefty contract, he would also be the most superior managerial candidate available if he parted ways with the Yankees. There’s no doubt that the Mets will do their due diligence when it comes to the next manager, but for right now all Mets fans can do is root for a Yankees loss on Wednesday night.