Despite the Mets’ recent slump, which now includes a weekend mauling in Pittsburgh of all places, team officials continue to believe in the major league coaching staff, sources tell SNY.
It is natural, when an off day follows a brutal weekend, for fans and pundits to speculate that heads will roll. In this case, it won’t be worth your time to go down that road.
The offense has underperformed, but rarely does a change in hitting coaches turn around a struggling lineup. MLB hitters are grown men, no longer in a player development program. Many have their own private hitting instructors in addition to the Mets’ Eric Chavez and Danny Barnes. High-end agencies provide hitting data and feedback. A team’s successes and failures rarely hinge on the staff instructors employed by that club.
The rotation and bullpen have lately crumbled, but pitching coach Jeremy Hefner is one of the most respected in the league. His assistant, Desi Druschel, adds an important dimension of cutting-edge instruction. Bullpen coach Jose Rosado is also an important part of a best-in-class mix.
The rest of the staff — John Gibbons, Mike Sarbaugh, Antoan Richardson, Glenn Sherlock, Danny Barnes — by all accounts excel at their specialties. The team would become worse, not better, by jettisoning any of them.
The Mets are in a horrid stretch. When a contending team is outscored 30-4 in a three-game series against the lowly Pirates, a fan can’t be blamed for wanting immediate action.
But in this case, it’s hard to see how any action regarding the coaching staff would help.
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