After a 26-34 record in 2020, his first season in charge of the New York Mets as a manager, a lot of people wanted Luis Rojas gone.
That sentiment was even bigger when new owner Steve Cohen took over the team in the offseason, and he, along with new team president Sandy Alderson, cleaned house at the front office level by dismissing general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and Adam Guttridge, Allard Baird, Jared Banner, and Omar Minaya.
Yet, Luis Rojas was kept as the Mets’ manager to start the season, and lots of people were left wondering if that was the right move by Cohen.
The question remains: after a 13-13 start to the 2021 season (before Friday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks), is Luis Rojas the right manager for the Mets?
Is Luis Rojas still the manager of the Mets? If so, why?
— Dan #LFGM #ALSS (@IrishFF44) May 1, 2021
Rojas Deserves More Time
While many people, most notably Mets’ fans, want him gone, he probably deserves more time at the position.
In fact, the word out there is that his job is, for now, safe.
New York Mets: Manager Luis Rojas’ job is reportedly safe for now https://t.co/c1uT4U3tqH
— Empire Sports Media (@EmpireSportsMed) May 4, 2021
Despite the Mets’ offensive struggles that led to the firing of hitting coach Chili Davis, they were, before the end of Friday’s game, only one game out of the first place in the National League East division, a position held by the 17-15 Philadelphia Phillies.
In addition, Rojas can’t go to the batter’s box and hit for his players, or step on the mound and pitch.
There is only so much he can do, and while his in-game managing skills do need some honing and improvement, he is one of the youngest skippers in the league at 39 years old and is still adjusting.
Fans have grown frustrated by some of his decisions, like lineup construction and bullpen management, and that’s true to some extent.
Yet, Luis Rojas may be the best man for the job at the moment, as Mets’ players respect him.
Being in the Mets’ organization since in a variety of roles since 2007, he has slowly gone up the ladder, ascending through different positions and gigs within the organization to get to where he is now.
A Met For Life
The Mets hired Rojas in 2007 as a coach for the Dominican Summer League Mets and for the Gulf Coast League Mets in 2008.
A couple of years later, in 2010, he became a coach for the Savannah Sand Gnats in 2010 but transferred back to manage the Gulf Coast League Mets in 2011.
He managed several more Mets’ minor league affiliates before the team named him as the quality control coach for the 2019 campaign.
The Mets named him as the manager in 2020 after Carlos Beltran was dismissed for his role in the 2017 sign-stealing scandal with Houston.
It would be unfair to dismiss Rojas after a short, weird season in 2020 and a few games into the 2021 campaign.
He had a direct influence in the development of several of the Mets’ young stars of today, like Dominic Smith, Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, and others.
At the very least, Rojas deserves some more time to see if he can guide the Mets into a winning streak.
It is true that the 2021 season will be crucial for him, as he is not under contract for next year.
However, if the Mets make a deep postseason run under his leadership, Luis Rojas will most likely stay for the long-term.
NEXT: Is Jacob DeGrom The MVP Of April Baseball? (Breakdown)
