Mickey Callaway Absolutely Has to Be Fired After Latest Noah Syndergaard Debacle
By Sean Facey
The Mets are struggling. Some might say the blame rests with poor ownership, while others will claim that the offseason's roster acquisitions simply haven't played up to snuff.
But through all the strife, dating all the way back to the start of 2018, there has been one constant disaster: Mickey Callaway.
His over-management and inexplicable bullpen moves leave little doubt that he has to go, especially after his latest debacle with Noah Syndergaard.
The ownership is not good. The general manager has been less than impressive. The players, many of them, have underperformed. All true.
— Mike Vaccaro (@MikeVacc) June 5, 2019
But Mickey Callaway is a brutal, brutal manager. This can’t go on much longer. #Mets
With the Mets staked to a 3-2 lead, a runner on first and two down in the bottom of the seventh, Callaway made an incredibly boneheaded move when he decided to pull Syndergaard, who was cruising. He opted for Seth Lugo, who promptly conceded the game-tying run.
It was a total blunder. Had he just stuck with Syndergaard, who is undoubtedly one of the most talented pitchers in the league, the Mets likely would have been able to come away with the win. If not, at least fans would have felt confident with one of their co-aces on the mound, instead of a middling member of a struggling bullpen.
Yes, Callaway owned up to the mistake immediately following the eventual 9-3 extra-innings loss, but that doesn't fix the problem. If anything, it proves that he can't make the right decisions on the fly.
It’s admirable for the manager to face up to players for his mistake. But what the Mets needed from Mickey Callaway wasn’t a noble gesture. They needed sound judgement. They needed feel. They got neither.
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) June 5, 2019
Far too often, Callaway over-complicates things. He plays the matchup game more than any manager in baseball and it clearly doesn't work.
He's too keen on pulling incredibly talented starters out of games way too early in favor of one of the weakest bullpens in the league, and it's costing the Mets dearly.
In a span of 72 hours, Mickey Callaway has ignored his 2 aces asking to stay in games while holding leads & has blown both games. He’s all but asking to be sacked now.
— Ian O'Connor (@Ian_OConnor) June 5, 2019
The Mets need change and they need it now. Callaway clearly doesn't know how to work with the roster that he's been given.
Each passing day with him at the helm is another day wasted muddling through mediocrity. Maybe he'd be a better pitching coach?