New York Mets manager Terry Collins had a notable guest drop by his office following his team’s 13-2 spring training loss to the Miami Marlins on Monday.
The visitor was none other than owner Fred Wilpon, and while the impromptu postgame meeting may have come at an awkward time, Collins downplayed its significance.
Here’s the take from ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin:
“He just wanted to talk about the club, which he loves to do,” Collins said. “He loves to talk baseball. But he’s not mad at all.”
Collins said the two discussed areas of concern with the team, including the high number of walks (now 36 in 61 innings) as well as unimpressive lefty relief.
“He likes to come in and just run through the roster — talk about, ‘Hey, what are you looking at right now?’” Collins said. “He’s got great passion. He wants to win so bad. … I said, ‘Listen, you’re going to like what’s going to come out of here.’
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It’s not all that unfamiliar for an owner to inquire about the day-to-day activities of his ball club, but it does seem a little odd to check in right after a game even in the relaxed setting of spring training.
Wilpon has reportedly been around Mets camp more this year than any other year since he bought the team in 2002. According to a number of stories, it’s because he expects to see Collins help deliver the Mets’ first winning season since 2008. It’s worth noting at this point that Collins is in the last year of his contract.
There’s reason for Wilpon’s optimism. Stud starting pitcher Matt Harvey is back and already nearing triple-digits on the radar gun, the rest of the rotation has great promise, and there are enough intriguing pieces in the lineup to make you think New York could be in the mix for a wild-card spot.
It’s early though, and just like Collins and Wilpon did on Monday, we’re just making conversation.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
