NEW YORK — Luis Rojas has been named the New York Mets manager.
The native of Santo Domingo will print his name in the record books as the first Latino to manage the New York Mets in 2019. He follows his short-time predecessor, Carlos Beltrán, who walked away from the managerial position after three months due to his involvement with the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal.
The son of Felipe Alou — the 17-year veteran who donned eight uniforms from the 1950s through the 1970s — Rojas played minor league stints with the Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins and Montreal Expos-Washington Nationals from 2000 through 2005, before stepping into a coaching role for the Mets Dominican Summer League Team in 2007.
Rojas, 38, has maintained ties with the Mets organization for 14 seasons, including taking on managerial duties for the Mets minor league teams. Rojas was most notably named the quality control coach for the team during the 2019 season, a season the Mets obtained 86 wins and oversaw a glimmer of postseason potential from players like Pete Alonso, Jacob deGrom, Michael Conforto and others on both sides of the diamond.
Loved having Luis in ‘17 and ‘18 as my AA manager! It’s awesome playing under him and having him on staff last year as well!!! Super pumped to have him as the Jeffe. Also he throws some damn good bp #LFGM https://t.co/SI8JgLzRId
— Pete Alonso (@Pete_Alonso20) January 22, 2020
“Luis is a very knowledgeable man, baseball mind, very brilliant,” former big league slugger and current MLB Network analyst Carlos Peña said about the decision. “Here we are three weeks before spring training starts, to go out there and try to hire and go through the interview process, may be a little more complicated than just saying ‘Maybe we have the right guy, right here.’ … It was the next right move for the Mets.”
Pitchers and catchers for the Mets will report to their spring training facility in Port St. Lucie on Feb. 11 and will begin official workouts on Feb 12. Spring training poses as a new hope for Rojas and the Mets who will ring in the 2020 season with a home opener against the defending World Series champions, Washington Nationals on March 26.
