Mets manager Luis Rojas. (John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports)
The New York Mets have had plenty of reasons to fire manager Luis Rojas this season after a silly scandal and an embarrassing collapse.
The Mets are on a winning streak, but all is not well in New York. They’ve gone from first to third in the NL East and sit five games back.
Don’t be fooled by the current run, either. Eight of NY’s 10 victories since the beginning of August came against the Nationals and Marlins, bottom of the barrel teams.
Given the way this season has unfolded, manager Luis Rojas is lucky to have a job.
3 times Luis Rojas should have been fired by the Mets
Not knowing about the “thumbs down”
In the grand scheme of things, a manager not being privy to the celebrations cooked up by his players isn’t a huge deal. However, in the case of the “thumbs down” controversy, Rojas was in the dark about a rift between the players and fans.
Mets players started doing the thumbs down at the start of August. The media didn’t get an answer about it until a few weeks later. When Rojas was asked about it being a figurative booing of fans, he was clueless.
That’s a failure of leadership. He should have had a finger on the pulse of his clubhouse. He should have been the one defending his players from abuse and he should have instilled in them the importance of the loyal fans all the same.