Rojas Earns Well Deserved “A”
Being the manager of any New York team is a difficult task. Steering the ship of the traditionally rudderless New York Mets, featuring a fanbase so frustrated and volatile they basically ran the old ownership group out of town, is nearly an impossible task for even the most seasoned veterans (see Terry Collins videos to experience the frustration). On top of all of that, remember that the organization only made him the manager after they fired the guy that got caught in a cheating scandal (see Carlos Beltran banging trash cans for more information). Nothing says New York Mets better than that managerial bio!
The New York Mets, 39 year old manager Luis Rojas maybe younger than most but he's no greenhorn. Rojas is a baseball lifer. His father, Felipe Alou, played 17 years in the big leagues and he managed another 14. His brother Moises added 17 dynamic years in MLB of his own. Rojas, in his second year at the helm of the Mets, has been managing in the organization for the past 8 seasons. He wasn't just ready for this job. He was groomed for it.
The Mets are in first place going into the All Star break for the first time since 2007. Ok, that was a bad year to bring up (see the collapse of 2007) but still, that's the first time in 14 years. The Mets lost so many players to injury time on the IL, get ready; Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, JD Davis, Carlos Carrasco, Seth Lugo, Jeurys Familia (I can't believe I am including him but I am), Robert Gsellman (Ok, I'm pushing it) and Noah Syndergaard was supposed to return in June and there is no sign he is coming back. On top of that, the $300 million man was hitting under .200 until June (see Francisco Lindor Apr/May stats if you care). Wow! And the Mets are in first place?
Yes they are and a lot of credit goes to the skipper that steadied the ship during some pretty rough, injury stormed, seas in the first half of the season. Luis Rojas is truly a student of the game and in the first semester of the 2021 Major League Baseball season, he earned an "A".