Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs veteran Mark Derosa allegedly blew a golden opportunity to be the New York Mets manager a few years back.
Former Mets skipper Terry Collins had a memorable run with the team that included tallying the second-most wins in franchise history and a trip to the 2016 World Series. However, the former minor league manager only got one more season before the organization chose to go in a different direction on the bench.
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- Mark DeRosa stats (Career): .268 AVG,.340 OPB, .412 SLG, 100 HR, 494 RBI, 538 R
Unfortunately, they have had a manager carousel since, after Mickey Callaway turned into a massive disappointment on and often the field in replacing Collins. However, it seems back in 2018 the organization was considering an unorthodox choice to take over their bench that year.
During an appearance this week on New York radio station WFAN, 2023 World Baseball Classic manager Mark DeRosa claimed former team president Sandy Alderson seriously considered him to replace Collins, despite no previous experience, but he failed the interview process for one major reason.
A lack of passion likely cost Mark DeRosa New York Mets manager job
“We talked for a while, and ultimately, what he said to me was very profound,” DeRosa recalled. “He said, ‘At no point in this for and a-half, five-hour interview did you say you’re dying to be the Mets manager. It’s what you were put on this Earth to do … That’s not what I want from my skipper coming in. I want a guy who can’t sleep another night without wanting to manage the Mets. He wasn’t wrong. At that point in my life, I was not there.”
Since his 16-year playing career ended in 2013 DeRosa has mostly served as an analyst for MLB Network. However, he did get his first managerial role this past year when he was the skipper for Team USA in the WBC. They went on to win a silver medal, falling to Team Japan.
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