Ranking the NL East: General Managers
Sep 26, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson on the field with mascot Mr. Met before a game against the Houston Astros at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
2. Sandy Alderson – New York Mets
Sandy Alderson replaced Omar Minaya as the Mets’ General Manager back in October of 2010. Since he’s taken over, the Mets have finished 4th, 4th, 3rd, and tied for 2nd in the NL East, though their number of games won has stayed consistently in the mid-seventies until 2014, when they landed four games under the .500 mark.
It appears that Alderson is taking the Mets in the right direction, and if you look at his history, that’s really not a big surprise. After all, Alderson’s first experience working as a GM came in Oakland, where he completely rebuilt the team from the mid-eighties through the late nineties. It was Alderson, in fact, who mentored Billy Beane, his eventual successor, on the use of sabermetrics.
From there, Alderson moved on to San Diego, where he helped the Padres win back-to-back division titles in 2005 and 2006, no small feat considering it’s the only success the team has experienced since 1998.
In all, Alderson’s teams have accumulated four division titles, three pennants, and a World Series. He’s been one of the key players at the forefront of the sabermetrics revolution. But what about his time with the Mets? He’s been in the Big Apple for four years now. What kind of results has he gotten?
As stated before, the Mets have consistently moved up in the standings, if not in their number of wins. They also have, based on Bleacher Report, one of the top tier farm systems in the majors. They’ve added pieces like Curtis Granderson and Michael Cuddyer to help out their younger players like Jacob DeGrom and Matt Harvey.
The question now is, do they have enough pieces in place to make a run at the playoffs soon? That will be the answer that really defines Alderson.
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