New York Mets manager Luis Rojas when he managed the Port St. Lucie Mets.
AP Photo

Luis Rojas talks about his work ethic in his first statement since being named New York Mets’ manager. He’s more than earned his reputation. 

The New York Mets officially named Luis Rojas their 23rd manager in franchise history on Thursday. It didn’t take long for Rojas to make a statement on his promotion,

“I will work tirelessly to help this team win. I believe this team and coaching staff can do special things, and I look forward to working together with everyone to reach our goals.”

There’s no reason to believe what Rojas said is a lie. He’s worked tirelessly for over a decade to get to this point. There’s no more proof to that statement then the story former Met Josh Satin told.

Rojas has had to fight for every ounce of respect he’s earned. He never played in the majors during his playing career. He chose not to follow in the footsteps of his father and brother by using the name Rojas instead of Alou. When he broke into coaching in 2006, there had only been two Dominican-born managers in MLB history.

Rojas fought against the current, but he fought up the Mets coaching ladder. After five years as a coach between the Washington Nationals and Mets organizations, Rojas got his first managerial job.

it was only up from there for Rojas. He managed for eight years at four different minor league levels before reaching the major leagues.

In an era when more and more major league managerial jobs are being given to people who don’t have much if any coaching experience, Rojas is a throwback.

The closest comparison to Rojas’s background is Buck Showalter. Neither played in the major leagues nor managed in the majors before getting their first MLB managerial job in New York. Rojas spent eight years as a minor league manager, while Showalter only spent five years as a minor league manager.

The big difference between the two is that Rojas had to work his way up from nothing, while Showalter was given a minor league managerial job right out of the gate, at A+ no less.

Rojas is prepared to lead the New York Mets. If anyone questions that he’ll “work tirelessly” to improve this team then they haven’t done enough research.

A contributor here at elitesportsny.com. I'm a former graduate student at Loyola University Chicago here I earned my MA in History. I'm an avid Mets, Jets, Knicks, and Rangers fan. I am also a prodigious prospect nerd and do in-depth statistical analysis.