New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza has been surprisingly good in his debut season with the team. And in a conversation this week with Sportsnaut, designated hitter JD Martinez explained what has led to his success in 2024.
Entering the MLB games today, the Mets are in striking distance of locking up a playoff spot this week. It is a surprising result for a team that had low expectations going into the season and got off to a rough start to begin the year. The optimism for the season certainly wasn’t boosted by the fact they had a first-time MLB manager leading the team.
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Yet, despite the early season struggles, Carlos Mendoza and his locker room leaders were able to rally the troops and New York has been one of the better teams in the league since June. The team’s skipper deserves a lot of credit for that and respect for easily filling the shoes of uber-veteran former Mets manager Buck Showalter.
One player on the current roster who has seen quite a few good managers during his career is six-time All-Star JD Martinez. The 14-year MLB veteran has worked with elite skippers like Alex Cora and Dave Roberts during his time in the league. During a conversation this week with Sportsnaut the star DH explained why Mendoza has been so good in his first season as a big league manager.
- New York Mets record: 87-70
JD Martinez raves about New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza’s feel for the game
“I think his secret sauce is he does a really good job of understanding guys. He’s got a good feel and understands things that no other managers see,” Martinez said. “I don’t know how to say it. He’s got a good feel, let’s just say that.
“He sees things that go under the radar, and he’s like, ‘No, no, you need to do this and do that.’ And I was like, wow, that’s a really good catch by him. He catches stuff that most managers would not even notice.”
Before being hired by the New York Mets, Mendoza served as the Yankees bench coach for four seasons and had previous managerial experience at the minor league level.
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