Who's gonna be the General Manager?

[Mex17]

That’s a Fred choice.

[Mex17]

This little tidbit from Martino on Metsblog. . .

https://www.sny.tv/mets/news/what-to-expect-as-mets-quietly-begin-interviews-for-head-of-baseball-operations/296982278

"they are not necessarily looking for a general manager, but possibly for a president or executive vice president of baseball ops."

There is a significant difference between "President" and "Executive Vice President". If they hire a President, that could mean that the person has more jizz in order to brush aside Jeffy.

Either way, it's a higher title than what Alderson ever had. I honestly thought that he was EVP of Baseball Ops, but after looking at some old yearbooks, it turns out that all he ever was was GM.

This could also mean that they are looking to give Ricco a title bump to GM while keeping him subordinate to the new hire.

[Frayed Knot]

Don't get hung up on titles.
If there winds up being a buffer between ownership and the GM then it's meaningful no matter what he's called.



I have no idea what qualifies Melvin as 'a Fred choice'

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Experienced "baseball lifer," with strong emphasis on traditional scouting (and, as a bonus, cobbling together sorta-contenders out of scrapheap pieces).

[ashie62]

No Korean female? shucks

[Lefty Specialist]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Experienced "baseball lifer," with strong emphasis on traditional scouting (and, as a bonus, cobbling together sorta-contenders out of scrapheap pieces).

On the nose. Fred's not an outside-the-box kind of guy. I don't think he'll be the deciding factor though; Jeff will and he'll sell Fred on whatever his choice is.

[Benjamin Grimm]

It won't be Ben Cherington, according to Andy Martino.

https://www.sny.tv/mets/news/sources-ben-cherington-not-expected-to-interview-for-mets-job/296999382

He's happy in Toronto and not interested in being a GM at this time.

[Centerfield]

Hey Thad Levine, wanna be our GM?

Nah. I'm good.

Give it what weight you will, but the prevailing thought on twitter is that bring young execs aren't exactly jumping at the possibility of generally managing the Mets.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

[youtube:f2zvs9wq]3dJOZgxbQJw[/youtube:f2zvs9wq]

"That's quite a surprise," he intoned sardonically.

[Guest 41Forever]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: It won't be Ben Cherington, according to Andy Martino. https://www.sny.tv/mets/news/sources-ben-cherington-not-expected-to-interview-for-mets-job/296999382 He's happy in Toronto and not interested in being a GM at this time.

The problem with these stories is that many of these people have never expressed an interest but are included in writer speculation pieces. So now we have a piece where someone who is interested based only on “speculation” who is allegedly not interested in a job, but neither the person nor the team will confirm. This is sloppy, lazy journalism.

[Benjamin Grimm]

NorthJersey.com wrote: As first reported by NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey, the team's pool of candidates appears to be shrinking due to concerns by younger, analytics-oriented candidates that the team is not willing to be a forward-thinking organization. Team owner Fred Wilpon is not a big believer in analytics, and the Mets went against the analytics' staff recommendations last winter.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/mlb/mets/2018/10/05/ny-mets-interview-candidates-their-gm-opening-next-week/1536419002/

[Mex17]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: As first reported by NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey, the team's pool of candidates appears to be shrinking due to concerns by younger, analytics-oriented candidates that the team is not willing to be a forward-thinking organization. Team owner Fred Wilpon is not a big believer in analytics, and the Mets went against the analytics' staff recommendations last winter. https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/mlb/mets/2018/10/05/ny-mets-interview-candidates-their-gm-opening-next-week/1536419002/

Maybe that's not a bad thing?

We just had a season where there were more strikeouts than hits in MLB (I think for the first time ever). And, we are also at the same time watching game after game after game where guys flat out refuse to slap balls to the opposite field (or drag bunt down the line the opposite way) despite the opposition giving them easy hits due to these overexaggerated shifts. How much of this is due to the "analytics"?

In spite of my deep mistrust of the Wilpons, maybe Fred is holding fast to the correct approach here?

[smg58]

Apparently the analytics department (following a chain of links) advised against Bruce and Vargas. I'd want a clear idea of what they DID recommend before giving them an unqualified endorsement, but that was reasonable as far as it goes.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Mex17 wrote: In spite of my deep mistrust of the Wilpons, maybe Fred is holding fast to the correct approach here?

Yeah, no.

[Centerfield]

As first reported by NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey, the team's pool of candidates appears to be shrinking due to concerns by younger, analytics-oriented candidates that the team is not willing to be a forward-thinking organization. Team owner Fred Wilpon is not a big believer in analytics, and the Mets went against the analytics' staff recommendations last winter. https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/mlb/mets/2018/10/05/ny-mets-interview-candidates-their-gm-opening-next-week/1536419002/ Maybe that's not a bad thing? We just had a season where there were more strikeouts than hits in MLB (I think for the first time ever). And, we are also at the same time watching game after game after game where guys flat out refuse to slap balls to the opposite field (or drag bunt down the line the opposite way) despite the opposition giving them easy hits due to these overexaggerated shifts. How much of this is due to the "analytics"? In spite of my deep mistrust of the Wilpons, maybe Fred is holding fast to the correct approach here?

Um. No.

On the laundry list of reasons why Fred sucks, his distrust of analytics is right up there with his inability to spend.

Here's an article from February 2015 ranking the MLB teams that have embraced analytics.

http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story?id=12331388&_slug_=the-great-analytics-rankings

There are 9 teams described as "All In".
Six of those teams made the playoffs. Boston, Yankees, Cubs, Cleveland, Oakland, Houston. These six teams include 2 of the last 3 World Champions, and all three teams that won 100 games this year.

The other three teams labeled as "All In" were: Tampa Bay (won 90 games, this year's biggest surprise), St. Louis (won 88 games, contends regularly) and Pittsburgh (who was not very good, but performed better than expected).

And yes, it's not dispositive (Atlanta is listed as a "Skeptic"), but if the biggest winners subscribe to a theory, maybe there is something to it yes?

The Budget Skeptics constantly crow "It's not how much you spend, it's whether you spend it wisely". (It's both. Duh.)

Here is Fred refusing information that will allow him to spend wisely. Think about this for a minute. Fred not only refuses to spend, but also refuses to spend wisely.

Two winning seasons in the last ten. Two division titles in 30 years. Since 2000, the Mets have won 90 games three times.

Maybe it's time to change the philosophy.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

What burns me is Jeff having suggested that going with a comparatively barebones staff was "Sandy's choice" as though they offered him 20 people and he said, no I'm good with three. I'm certain it comes down to, we'll give you 17 extra analytics people or a third baseman and a relief pitcher -- your choice.

All that said, this narrative of the Mets being unable to attract young analysts were they to be offered the opportunity has also got to be bullshit. Perhaps there's circumstances with certain guys, but I'd be shocked if the personnel office isn't bombarded with resumes right now.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Mike Puma wrote: The four known candidates at this point are former Rangers/Brewers GM Doug Melvin, Cardinals director player of development Gary LaRocque, MLB executive Kim Ng and Nationals special assistant De Jon Watson. All four are expected to receive an initial interview next week. Team owner Fred Wilpon’s preference, according to sources, continues to be a candidate with a deep background in scouting and player development. Melvin and LaRocque, both in their mid-60s, fit that profile. The 49-year-old Ng, a former assistant GM with the Yankees and Dodgers, would bring a blend of experience to the position. Watson, with 31 years of baseball experience, has a strong background in scouting and player development.

Watson, 52, is African-American, so I'd think, oh, he's the token minority that the Mets have to interview, but I guess Ng would also fit that description? Or does minority mean "black" where this rule is concerned?

I was wondering, by the way, how to pronounce "Ng". I asked Gary Cohen, and he said it's "Ning-or-reese" but I don't think I believe that.

I did, however, find this:

https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-pronounce-the-surname-Ng-1 I am a Mandarin speaker who has lived in Hong Kong for 10 years. “Ng” was one of the obstacles for learning Cantonese, even for Mandarin speakers because there is also no such sound in Mandarin. it is just a nasal sound, the best way for me to describe it is the “mmm” sound when people talk “ummmm” or “Mmmmmm”. An easy way to pronounce this is to close your lips, and stick your tip of tongue to the upper part of your mouth cavity behind the teeth (like the back gum area of upper teeth), and try exhaling through the nose. If you try to produce a sound instead of just exhaling, you should be able to produce the “Ng” sound.

I'd like to think this is correct, but it's hard to imagine the guys on Mets Hot Stove talking to Kim Ng and pronouncing her name by doing what's described above.

[MFS62]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'd like to think this is correct, but it's hard to imagine the guys on Mets Hot Stove talking to Kim Ng and pronouncing her name by doing what's described above.

Whenever I see a tough name like this I wonder how Ralph Kiner would have pronounced it. And then I laugh.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

I've most often heard it pronounced (more or less) as Ning.
I believe it's Vietnamese in origin.

[seawolf17]

My friend whose last name is Ng comes from Hong Kong. We've always pronounced it "ING," but a Vietnamese friend whose name starts with Ng tried to teach us that nasal sound that Ben referenced in the quote above.

Either way, I know I'm not pronouncing it correctly myself.

[Ceetar]

Anyone read the most recent Athletic piece by Eno Sarris (I didn't, i don't have access and I tried to sign up with a student account and failed) but there was some real info in there about analytics depts, more than the unsourced garbage that's been circulated I hope.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Puma on the Twitter teases a scoop that Tony LaRussa is campaigning for the Mets to hire Gary "I Do" LaRoque

[metirish]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Puma on the Twitter teases a scoop that Tony LaRussa is campaigning for the Mets to hire Gary "I Do" LaRoque

money for old rope....read the bit, La Russa getting his old buddy a job

[Edgy MD]

"Money for old rope."

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

LaRoque fwiw has a good rep and was a former Met exec in the Phillips Era. If they go with him they'll be sure to mention his role in acquiring Young David Wright.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Money for new rope: Mets have interviewed 14-year Rays veteran (yet remarkably only 35 years old) Chaim Bloom.

https://www.mlb.com/rays/team/front-office/chaim-bloom

[Edgy MD]

Loved him in The Producers.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Interesting!

I also like his name, but I'd like it better if it was "Chain Boom", which is how I first read it.

[Ceetar]

Jewish angle will probably go over well in the organization.

[Edgy MD]

Wouldn't it be something to have a 43-year-old manager and a 35-year-old GM?