Buck Showalter, who had been heavily favored to become the Mets’ new manager, officially got the job Saturday afternoon.
Team owner Steve Cohen announced Showalter as the choice to lead the Amazin’s in 2022, if and when the MLB lockout comes to an end. The Mets will have one of the most experienced and strategic managers in the game with a track record of success.
“I’m pleased to announce Buck Showalter as the new manager of the New York Mets,” Cohen said in his tweet.
The 66-year-old Showalter began his managerial career with the Yankees back in 1992, where he won acclaim for leading the rebuilding Pinstripes back into respectability. By the summer of 1994, the Yankees had the best record in the American League and looked poised for a playoff run when the players’ strike happened in August, and the rest of the season was eventually lost.
The following year, Showalter led the Yankees to a wild card spot, but was fired by then-owner George Steinbrenner not long after the Bronx Bombers were bounced from the playoffs by the Seattle Mariners.
Three years later, Showalter was back in the big leagues with the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks, and led them to 1999 National League Western Division championship in their second year of existence – only to lose in the Division Series to the wild card Mets.
Showalter was fired by the Diamondbacks after the 2000 season, and would later have stints leading the Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles, where he last managed in 2018, leaving after a 115-loss season while the Birds were being rebuilt.
During his career, Showalter has won more than 1,500 games and led the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Orioles to the playoffs, though he’s fallen short of reaching the World Series.
Now, Showalter comes to a Mets team that’s in full win-now mode after they signed three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer just before the lockout, giving then Amazin’s a devastating one-two starting rotation punch with Jacob deGrom.
Earlier this month, as the managerial search progressed, published reports indicated that both Cohen and Scherzer had pushed for Mets Team President Sandy Alderson and General Manager Billy Eppler to give Showalter the job.
Showalter beat out several other candidates for the Mets’ skipper job, including Houston Astros bench coach Joe Espada and Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro.
