THE List: 10 Best/Worst Mets Managers
BEST:
Casey Stengel (1962-1965), 175-404
It doesn’t matter that Stengel’s .302 winning percentage is the worst in Mets history. The greatest showman in baseball history made the Mets relevant when they were simply awful on the field.
Gil Hodges (1968-1971), 339-309
Everybody who played for Hodges revered him, saying he was the driving force behind the 1969 Miracle Mets. It would have been nice to see how far he could have taken the franchise.
Davey Johnson (1984-1990), 595-417
Johnson’s .588 winning percentage is the best in Mets history. He led the team to the 1986 World Series title — a team should have won more than one, but it wasn’t Johnson’s fault.
Bobby Valentine (1996-2002), 536-457
Valentine is still beloved by Mets fans who are hoping he will some day return to the dugout in Flushing. His personality sometimes rubs people the wrong way, but he has a brilliant baseball mind.
Willie Randolph (2005-2008), 302-253
Yeah, I’m surprised, too. But you can’t ignore the fact that Randolph’s .544 winning percentage is second best in team history. It also shows how checkered the Mets managerial past is.
WORST:
Joe Torre (1977-1981), 286-420
Torre will go into the Hall of Fame as a manager, but not because of his work with the Mets. He was in way over his head. In Torre’s defense, he went right from the field to the dugout, and had to learn as he went.
George Bamberger (1982-1983), 81-127
Bamberger was like your kindly old uncle who wasn’t a very good baseball manager.
Jeff Torborg (1992-1993), 85-115
Torborg was pretty much clueless during his two years at the helm at Shea.
Dallas Green (1993-1996), 229-283
Green wasn’t much better, and he was kind of a jerk. That’s why he made the list over Joe Frazier.
Art Howe (2003-2004), 137-186
Ah, Art Howe. A nice enough guy by all accounts, but just a listless manager whose teams played with little fire. But hey, at least they battled.
Mug Shots Courtesy Ultimate Mets Database, http://ultimatemets.com/mugshots.php