Terry Collins’ managerial career has been filled with ups and downs. One thing’s for sure — the man loves to teach. Clearly his passion lies with mentoring young players and seeing them blossom into mature adults who play the game the right way.
The Terry Collins we all know now is different from his days as manager of the Houston Astros and Anaheim Angels. Collins used to be more of a fiery outspoken type. Maybe he’s mellowed out with age, but he’s definitely taken it down a notch. When he was hired to be the Mets’ manager prior to the 2011 season, I didn’t know much about him, so I did some research. That is how I found out what the Mets odds for the season ahead would look like. In his three years in Houston, he was 224-197, which isn’t bad, but he didn’t have anything to show for his. His tenure in Anaheim was a little less desirable, going 220-237 in three years. Believe it or not, it’s been seven years since he took the helm, and he’s now managed more games than any other manager in Mets’ history, most recently passing Davey Johnson to take the crown. Thus far, he’s 546-576 (as of Tuesday morning).
The highlight was obviously the 2015 season. The Mets made a magical run following the acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes from Detroit. After defeating the Dodgers and Cubs, the Mets’ run came to an end against the Royals, who had been heartbroken in the World Series the year prior. The resilient club rebounded by making it back to the playoffs in 2016, but the one-game wildcard set them up in a matchup against Madison Bumgartner, and he would not be denied victory, even though the game was at Citi Field.
I don’t hold Collins responsible for this season, which has been a monumental disappointment. When you have key injuries to basically everyone, it’s impossible to stay afloat. The rotation was supposed to be Noah Syndergaard, Jacob DeGrom, Steven Matz, Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler, but Syndergaad went down with a lat injury. DeGrom has been a rock, winning 15 games to lead the staff. Some imposter has taken over the Dark Knight’s body, and all of a suddent, he’s become the Light Day. Matz showed serious signs of regression before going down with an injury, and the injury bug bit Wheeler as well. When you have guys like Rafael Montero, Chris Flexen and Tommy Milone making more than a start or two, you know there’s depth issues.
The bullpen has also been an issue as well. Addison Reed was traded off to greener pastures in Boston, and Jeurys Familia missed a lot of time with a blood clot. Besides Jerry Blevins, there hasn’t been much consistency in the pen, especially with Hansel Robles, a guy who Collins and company were counting on to take a big step forward, took a major leap backward.
Ultimately, I have questioned Collins a lot over his managerial decisions, but his career has been pretty good. I am thankful for 2015 and 2016, despite ultimately falling short. Truth be told, I have never been in love with a Mets’ manager, and I don’t know who makes the most sense to go next. We’ve heard names like Joey Cora, Dick Scott and Bob Geren, but I am more of a Chip Hale guy. Why? I think he has the right fire to gear us back in the right direction.
As for Collins, he won’t be fired, but my guess is he retires and sails off into the sunset, but you never know.
