How Old Is Mets Manager?

New York Mets, is one of America’s greatest MLB teams. The Mets as they are popularly called, have been playing since the sixties. Formed in 1962, to replace two teams that departed the American major league; the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Acquired by Steve Cohen in 2020 for over $2 billion. Since its acquisition, the team has been ranked consistently as the sixth valuable MLB team. They have an estimated worth of $2.6billion. Dozens of managers have led the team through different phases of its growth. In 2022, the present manager of the team is Buck Showalter. Let’s learn about ‘How Old Is Mets Manager?’.

How Old Is Mets Manager?

The Mets are currently managed by Buck Showalter who turned 66 years on the 23rd of May. The American grew up in Florida.  

 Who is Buck Showalter III?

The three-time American league manager of the year and current manager of the New York Mets team has garnered a favourable reputation among fans and lovers of the Major Baseball League. Known for his ability to build teams in short periods, Showalter has coached several Baseball teams.

Born and raised in Florida, Showalter was raised by his father who was an All-American fullback in the early 1940s but gave up a career with the Pitsburg Steelers to begin a career as a high school coach. Eventually, he became the principal at Century High School, the same school the Junior Showalter completed his high school education. Buck Showalter is fully named William Nathaniel Buck Showalter III but would be called “Nat” at the early phase of his career. He started out playing baseball in college for Chipola Junior College but transferred to Mississippi State Bulldogs when he moved to that University.

In 1977, Showalter was selected to join the New York Yankees where he remained for over 7 seasons. Although he never played in the major leagues, he was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2002.

His career as management personnel began in 1985. He was first hired by the Oneonta Yankees. His goal was to coach the team to the Single-A minor league. Buck’s outstanding performance, lead the team to 114 victories in just two seasons. This brilliant performance led to his induction into the New York-Penn League Hall of fame. Buck Showalter has gone on to manage numerous teams throughout his career and has set different records. One of these major records held by the manager, is the 22nd all-time win for any manager in baseball history, following the Mets’ 4-3 win over Texas Ranger, bringing his total career win to 1599th.

Showalter as Mets’ New Manager

In December 2021, the Mets announced Buck Showalter as the club’s new manager, this was coming just 14 months after the acquisition of the club. The announcement stated that the new manager’s contract will last for 3 years and relied strongly on Buck’s managerial experience to help the club build confidence in the coming games. His announcement to the team’s board makes him the 23rd manager to have coached the club since its inception. His predecessors, Luis Rojas and Mickey Callaway both had reputations of being fresh-out managers, with no long-term experience, however, seeing that both coaches failed to make an impactful impression on the team’s performance, it is very little surprise Buck was selected. With his wealth of experience and influence, the selection was heralded as a good one by fans and spectators of the New York Mets.

Random Things About Buck Showalter

1. Education: Buck is known to have graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in education as far back as 1979. But what a lot of people find interesting about his education history is his graduation from Century High School, the same place his dad had worked for the past 23 years.

2. Buck’s Lucky Number: One interesting fact about Buck is how attached his career has been to the number 11.  Throughout his managerial role and career, Buck wore the number 11 but had a brief stint from the number and wore a number 26 in honour of the Late Johnny Oates.

3. Is his name Buck?: As unsurprising as it is, Buck isn’t Buck’s real name. The nickname Buck originated as far back as 1977 from his manager at Fort Lauderdale. Although the actual reason for this is largely unknown, conspiracy theories run high. Buck Showalter’s actual name is William Nathaniel Showalter III.

 Conclusion

Buck has had an impressive career run. His achievements so far have been solid. Despite his lack of a World Series, the manager is rated amongst the best. Buck’s journey to his managerial position is also interesting, rising from a career as an All-American outfielder to the manager of the New York Mets. The 66-year-old is currently on the way to becoming one of the few outstanding inspirations in the sports industry.

 Frequently Asked Questions

1. Has Buck Showalter ever won the Manager of the Year award?

 Yes, Buck is currently a three-time All-American Manager of the year. This is just one of the many prestigious awards to have been won by the manager.