Showalter Righting Old Regime’s Treatment of Keith Hernandez

Buck Showalter has already proven that he’s determined to do things differently with the Mets, as Keith Hernandez can attest.

Among the many sights and sounds to have emerged from spring training so far, there was a notable image doing the rounds on social media last week of Showalter engaged in deep conversation with Hernandez at the batting cages.

Now, to an outsider, that may not seem a big deal at all but, if you know the recent history of the Mets, you can understand why it has become a big story.

Despite winning a World Series with the Mets in 1986 and being a franchise icon, Hernandez was kept at arm’s length by the Wilpons and previous front offices, for some strange reason.

That included the former first baseman not being allowed anywhere near the batting cases during spring training or before regular season games, despite the fact that Hernandez knows the game of baseball inside out and has an incredible knowledge about the sport he excelled in as a player.

Keith and Buck chatting at BP. pic.twitter.com/xSUEukZ1IJ

— New York Mets (@Mets) March 20, 2022

However, those days are now thankfully over.

With Showalter proving why experience is key, his first major move and indeed win has been striving to include Hernandez more and tap into his wealth of knowledge.

Hernandez is now allowed to come and go as he pleases, he’s regularly seen in deep discussions with Showalter and he’s finally being treated like royalty, which is long overdue given his importance to this franchise.

“Keeping me out was something the old Mets regime did,” Hernandez told Bob Klapisch of the Newark Star-Ledger. “The last time I was allowed near the field was 2000, when Bobby Valentine had me working with Todd Zeile at first base.

“But since then I felt there was an insecurity from the coaches; they didn’t want me around, almost like they felt threatened. Like I wanted to get back in uniform, which I couldn’t do. It was just a bad vibe.”

It goes without saying that isn’t how you treat a franchise legend, who will have his jersey retired this season by the way, and Showalter made sure he brought that particular era to a very public end.

“I wanted people to notice Keith was sitting next to me and it wasn’t by coincidence,” Showalter told Klapisch. “To me, Keith Hernandez is Mets royalty. He can go wherever he wants around here. This is his team.”

And, when asked about his standing within the Mets organization now, Hernandez was understandably delighted.

“I’m very pleased about this,” Hernandez said. “It’s a complete change.”

Showalter is a baseball lifer, he’s an incredibly intelligent man and he knows how important it is for organizations to stay connected with their past, including treating previous players with the utmost respect.

He’s also very aware of just how valuable Hernandez can be to the team given his knowledge, experience and insight, and it is refreshing to see the new Mets manager embrace that rather than be afraid of it, like previous regimes.

Hernandez will have his No. 17 Mets jersey number retired on July 9 this year.

It is also worth noting that Showalter has invited other notable figures to camp, including Super Bowl winning coach, Bill Parcells, and you get the impression that this will be a very open and accessible franchise now.

This is a huge win for Showalter and the Mets, and it should also serve as encouragement that maybe this team will now operate as a respected and well-run organization, rather than the laughing stock it has been known as for too many years.

The post Showalter Righting Old Regime’s Treatment of Keith Hernandez first appeared on Metsmerized Online.