After media analysts were done ripping and tearing the Mets’ organization to shreds for their treatment of Willie Randolph, their attention turned to the appointment of new Mets interim manager Jerry Manuel. Several times it was related what organizations look for in managerial candidates: the polar opposite of the last manager. This begs the question: why Manuel, a “Randolph guy” who has been described as quieter than Randolph?
On the surface, Manuel sounds exactly like Randolph. MLB.com’s Mets beat writer Marty Noble summed it up best in an article today:
Randolph, 54 next month, is a former second baseman who began his big league career in 1975. Manuel, 54, is a former second baseman — though far less accomplished than Randolph — who made his big league debut in 1975.
Manuel’s career lasted ten years less than Randolph’s, ending in 1982. According to an official team biography, he batted .150 with 3 HR and 13 RBIs in 96 games. For the better part of the 1980s, he served in a number of capacities: a scout, an infield instructor, and a minor league field coordinator among them.
He got his first managerial gig with the Double-A Jacksonville affiliate of the Montreal Expos in 1990, where he was named Southern League Co-Manager of the Year. He was promoted to manager of AAA Indianapolis for half of the 1991 season before joining the big league club.
He would serve as third base coach for the Montreal Expos from 1991-1996 under Felipe Alou. He was the bench coach for Jim Leyland during the 1997 Florida Marlins’ championship season. Then, of course, he became the manager of the Chicago White Sox, where he served from 1998-2003.
Taking a look back at his tenure as manager of the White Sox, the team’s final record was consistently around the .500 mark, with the lone breakout season being 2000. That was the one year the White Sox won the AL Central, though they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Manuel was named the AP’s Manager of the Year and the Baseball Writers Association of America’s AL Manager of the Year in 2000.
Newsday’s Anthony Reiber discussed the dismissal of Manuel from the White Sox in 2003. He said the White Sox organization in 2003 “felt he wasn’t pushing the White Sox hard enough and had an underachieving team.” That sounds exactly like the reasons for Randolph’s dismissal in 2008. Of course, Manuel was replaced by the fiery Ozzie Guillen, whose bombastic approach contributed to a 2005 World Series crown.
However, players and coaches around the league have commented on Manuel’s capability to become outspoken, perhaps something Randolph was perceived to lack. Manuel showed a capacity for ferocity when he was ejected from a Mets vs. Yankees game earlier this year after the controversial non-call of a Carlos Delgado home run ball. Reiber recounted a similar instance from Manuel’s days as manager of the White Sox:
Manuel got in Frank Thomas‘ face during spring training in 2000 when the slugger didn’t want to participate in running drills. A few months later, Thomas told the Orange County Register, “He’s been more of a stern rock. It’s working. It’s made me a different player. It’s hard when you fail. He points me in the right direction of moving forward.” Thomas hit .328 with 43 homers and 143 RBIs and finished second to Oakland’s Jason Giambi in the MVP voting.
When profiling the man, the New York Times’ Ben Shpigel paints Manuel as a more eccentric calming influence, not altogether unlike Rick Peterson. He said Manuel has studied the lives of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., even going so far as having Aaron Heilman put part of King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech on his cell phone.
Ultimately, it looks as if the Mets’ changes today were for a different mood in the clubhouse, in hoping the organization could turn a page. They looked in-house for all their new appointees, particularly in the replacement of Randolph. Manuel is a man who has already connected with the players as the Mets’ bench coach for the past two and a half years. He has become a leader in the clubhouse, talking to players in nooks and crannies before and after games. He quietly studies the game.
Unfortunately, all his good characteristics are too much like his predecessor, and if the Mets continue in mediocrity, this will stand out. As Omar Minaya said in today’s press conference, Manuel will get the rest of the year. Barring a miraculous team-wide turnaround, Manuel will not remain manager in 2009.
