2024 Mets Report Card: Carlos Mendoza, Manager
When the New York Mets were searching for a new manager, their fifth since Terry Collins, not many had Carlos Mendoza as the guy. The Chicago Cubs hired Craig Counsell after the Mets pursued him. New York interviewed Mendoza during the process and came away impressed and hired the former New York Yankees bench coach. Instead of a playoff-experienced manager like Counsell, the Mets hired an unknown rookie manager to lead the team. Some were cautious, some were optimistic, but the Mets liked what they saw. As the season progressed, many would feel the same.
Grade: A
2024 Review
Persevering Through The Slow Start
Like everyone else on the 2024 Mets, Mendoza had hiccups and struggles to begin the year. During New York’s 0-5 start and being 24-35 by June 2, Mendoza looked like a rookie manager and had moments of overmanaging. He looked overmatched. He also had to manage his way through some tough spots, such as the DH before J.D. Martinez was ready, the injury to Kodai Senga, the competition at third base that carried over into the season, and the early season struggles of Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Díaz, and Jeff McNeil.
Then, on June 2, Mendoza had a turning point. The Mets lost to the Dodgers, Jorge López threw his glove into the stands, and the Mets were close to selling off at the trade deadline. Lindor asked Mendoza if he could speak to the team privately, and Mendoza gave Lindor and the players the time they needed to air things out. The one aspect that Mendoza prioritized all year was trusting his players, and, at that moment, he did just that. From then on, the Mets became one of the best teams in baseball.
Mendoza Leads Turnaround
One of the key things Mendoza did actually happened before the team meeting. In May, he decided to put Lindor in the leadoff spot. That decision jumpstarted Lindor’s season into an MVP campaign as Lindor carried the team the rest of the season. Mendoza also gave Vientos more playing time at third base and watched as he became one of the best sluggers in baseball. Mendoza also gave chances out of the bullpen to Dedniel Núñez and Danny Young when guys like Jake Diekman struggled, as well as injuries to players such as Brooks Raley and Drew Smith. As Jose Iglesias emerged and was hot off the bench, Mendoza gave him more playing time. Same for Tyrone Taylor when Harrison Bader cooled down in the second half.
His trust in his players showed throughout the season. Like when Luis Severino pitched his complete game shutout against the Miami Marlins on August 17. After Diaz had rough back-to-back outings against the San Diego Padres and then the Arizona Diamondbacks during a west-coast road trip in late August, Mendoza trotted Diaz back out there the next day to get a save against the Diamondbacks. Diaz notched the save as the Mets took the series from Arizona. In game 161 against the Atlanta Braves, Diaz blew a 6-3 Mets lead in the 8th. After Lindor’s go-ahead two-run home run to retake the lead, not many would’ve sent Diaz back out there. However, Mendoza did. His trust paid off as Diaz got the final three outs to secure the Mets a trip to the postseason.
Even having trust in a slumping Francisco Álvarez to give him the green light to swing at 3-0 he rewarded his manager by hitting a walk-off home run against the Baltimore Orioles. He even continued to trust him in the postseason. From the NLDS to the NLCS, Álvarez batted .313. Mendoza’s belief in his players and culture-setting attitude paved the way for the Mets’ success in 2024. For him personally, he was named a finalist for National League Manager of the Year. As a rookie manager leading a team with little expectations, you couldn’t ask for any better.
2025 Outlook
As Mendoza enters year two, the challenge will be to continue what was started in 2024 and not regress. That means avoiding another slow start because there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to turn it around next time. The Mets and Mendoza came out of nowhere last season, but now there will be expectations, and he will have to lead the ship with a bigger microscope placed on him. After the NLCS loss to the Dodgers, Mendoza said that the expectation going forward is to be in these spots, to expect to win, and to play deep into October. In year two, the challenge will be to back it up.
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