Can Luis Rojas lead the Mets to the promised land?
The Mets skipper is entering his first season as a major league manager, and the task ahead of him is anything but easy.
Rojas and his club are set to play 60 games over 66 days, with each of those games coming against NL East and AL East opponents.
Of course, the schedule won’t be the only difficulty Rojas will face this season. Here’s a look at the biggest challenges Rojas will encounter over the next few months.
The Honeymoon is Over
The beauty of a six-month, 162-game season is that a team can experience several lengthy losing streaks and still finish with a respectable record. But with only 60 games on the schedule for 2020, every game will be of the utmost importance. In fact, one could argue that there is absolutely no room for error this season.
Remember when Mickey Callaway submitted the wrong lineup card in May of 2018, causing the Mets to bat out of order? Luis Rojas can ill afford to make those types of rookie mistakes. Fortunately, Rojas has prior managerial experience to draw from, having managed at four different levels in the Mets’ minor league system and in the Dominican Winter League.
Bullpen Management
The Mets’ bullpen was the team’s downfall last season, ultimately preventing New York from snagging a National League Wild Card spot. After fashioning a brilliant campaign for the Mariners in 2018, closer Edwin Díaz lost his command and his confidence in his first year in Queens. Díaz set a single-season record by allowing 15 home runs in the ninth inning, and ended the year with an unsightly 5.59 ERA.
The key to a Díaz bounceback will be for him to regain mastery of his signature pitch: the slider. Opponents hit .297 with a .622 slugging percentage against Díaz’s slider in 2019, a far cry from the .129 average and .234 slugging percentage they recorded against it the year before.
Getting Díaz back on track will be a top priority for Luis Rojas and new Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. Rojas must also decide how to deploy the versatile Seth Lugo, he of the elite curveball spin rate. Last season, Lugo made 19 appearances in which he completed at least two full innings. But employing Lugo as the “long man” in 2020 would mean that, in all likelihood, he won’t be able to throw on back-to-back days.
Further complicating Luis Rojas’s job this season is the new three-batter minimum. In the past, pitchers who entered the game were required to face just one batter before they could be removed. Now, a pitcher must face at least three batters or pitch to the end of the half inning before they get the hook. With this new rule in place, a misguided managerial maneuver could lead to disastrous results. Rojas must make informed choices when going to his pen, or else run the risk of the inning spiraling out of control.
Solving the DH Riddle
Like it or not, the designated hitter is coming to the National League this season. The Mets have a wealth of options to fill the spot, and choosing the best person for the role will be one of Luis Rojas’s most important duties this summer. Dominic Smith is a likely candidate — his career numbers as a pinch-hitter indicate that he can remain productive even if he doesn’t play the field. Smith is also the team’s best defensive option at first base, so it would make sense for him to man the position while Pete Alonso serves as the DH.
Other players that Luis Rojas can pencil into the DH slot include J.D. Davis, Yoenis Céspedes, Jed Lowrie, and Robinson Canó. Céspedes is the biggest question mark among that group, as it remains to be seen whether he’ll be healthy enough to contribute anything of note. Céspedes was not yet running the bases when Spring Training ended in March, but GM Brodie Van Wagenen is hopeful he can help this year’s club.
As much as it may irk traditionalists accustomed to seeing the pitcher hit, the arrival of the DH in the NL should benefit the Mets. If Luis Rojas uses the position wisely, he can increase the playing time of up-and-comers like Dominic Smith while closely monitoring the workload of veterans like Céspedes and Canó.
Young Guns
The 2019 Mets had a youthful enthusiasm that should carry over into 2020. Though veterans like Jacob deGrom and the newly added Dellin Betances will be instrumental to this team’s success, the core group mainly consists of players under the age of thirty. Led by rookie Pete Alonso, the 2019 Mets found their groove in the dog days of summer when they began celebrating their walk-off wins with jersey-ripping theatrics.
Luis Rojas was in the dugout for that magical 2019 run as the club’s quality control coach, so he witnessed those moments of unbridled joy first-hand. He now has a veritable cornucopia of talent at his disposal, even if much of it is inexperienced. As manager, he’ll be asked to strike a balance between keeping the clubhouse loose and ensuring that his young players remain focused on the task at hand. And, should a franchise cornerstone like Pete Alonso fall into a slump, it will be Rojas’s responsibility to help him weather the storm with sage advice and a steadfast demeanor.
Rojas managed several current Mets — including Alonso — in the minors. He’s already earned their trust, so concerns about possible clubhouse discord would be unfounded. Ultimately, Mets fans will hope that the established rapport between Rojas and his young players can make a difference in the team’s performance.
Searle’s Final Say
Luis Rojas has been commended for his strategic acumen and communication skills throughout his professional career. Managing a major league team is a demanding and often thankless endeavor, one that provides little in the way of job security. Despite the myriad challenges he’ll face, Rojas is well-equipped to transform a young Mets team from a Wild Card contender into a National League powerhouse.
