Six years ago, the New York Mets picked Mickey Callaway for their manager. After two seasons and a 163-161 overall record, he was fired, leading the Mets to hire Luis Rojas … then Buck Showalter … and now Carlos Mendoza.
The past could’ve played out a lot differently, though, had a former player been ready for the challenge.
Mark DeRosa interviewed for the position before the 2018 season with former general manager Sandy Alderson. It was his first ever interview for manager, and Alderson could tell DeRosa’s heart really wasn’t into it. At the time, DeRosa didn’t understand how the Mets landed on Callaway, so he asked Alderson.
We talked for a while, and ultimately, what he said to me was very profound,” DeRosa recalled on WFAN during a live broadcast attack MLB Network. “He said, ‘At no point in this 4 1/2-5-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.’
Leave a Reply