The New York Mets gave manager Luis Rojas a familiar face as his bench coach after Hensley Mullens was fired. The baseball-lifer Dave Jauss is returning to Queens to serve in the same position he served under Jerry Manuel in 2010.
Dave Jauss coming in at the end to take up for his guys is my absolute favorite…. he’s 62 and runs like a penguin, but he has his team’s back
— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) July 31, 2019
Jauss also has familiarity with Sandy Alderson as he worked in the Mets’ front office during the 2011 season. His resume shows his thorough experiences as a bench coach, doing so for four different teams. Before his bench coaching stints, he held various positions since the 80s.
Experience is Key
Jauss worked with Grady Little with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2006-07), Baltimore Orioles (2008-09) before joining the Mets. After leaving the Mets, he worked under Clint Hurdle with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2012-19). Once Hurdle was let go, Jauss spent 2020 as a scout for the New York Yankees.
When Rojas took over for Carlos Beltran as the manager, he inherited the group Beltran brought in. While guys like Chili Davis, Tom Slater, and Ricky Bones were people Rojas was familiar with, Mullens was not one of those guys. Trust and experience make a good coaching relationship, which is why Jeremy Hefner remained even though he was not a Rojas selection. The bench coach is the most important coaching position when it comes to trust, and Jauss will help make him a better manager for 2021.