Luis Rojas, the New York Mets‘ manager, is already showing his commitment to the team. He just returned from a trip to the Dominican Republic to support his second baseman Robinson Cano on a charity event.
Rojas already talked at length with several Mets, including Edwin Diaz. The former All-Star closer came to the team before the 2019 season, but failed miserably and had a 5.59 ERA with lots of blown saves.
One of the Mets’ most important missions for the 2020 season will be saving Edwin Diaz. Rojas, now the leader of the squad, is taking it very seriously. He views the Puerto Rican as a very important piece to get the success he referred to at his introductory conference.
After talking to Diaz, Rojas feels that the fans will see a different pitcher than the one they saw last season. He is confident that things will change, and he said that in an interview with the New York Post.
“I saw Edwin dominating in the beginning and his confidence really high, but then he went through adversity with his stuff as well and being there last year can help me carry over some conversations,’’ Rojas said.
He talked specifically about the meeting they had, and what was discussed in the conversation.
The Mets are monitoring Diaz’ offseason
“I saw Edwin last week and he has worked so hard in Puerto Rico just to get himself in the kind of shape where he can perform from Day 1 and be consistent. The key for him is going to be his game preparation and the stuff he is doing now that will carry over. … Always maintain his confidence. He’s got a great group of guys around him and I think that is something that is going to help him out.
The confidence is a crucial part of the question. For years, folks have been saying that closers need to have a short memory. They need to put the past behind them and focus on the task at hand. The performance of yesterday doesn’t matter. Diaz has work to do physically, mentally, and pitching-wise, but he has the tools to succeed. After all, he was the most dominating relief pitcher in 2018 and had several good seasons before that.
Finally, Rojas praised the New York Mets’ roster. Many players have been active doing pre-camp workouts. “The guys want to get this going. We have a gifted team and that offseason preparation will carry over and I think that will put us in a position to be successful.’’