Callaway Instrumental in Tribe's Turnaround by Jordan
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Callaway instrumental in Tribe's turnaround By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | October 22nd, 2017 + 10 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Mickey Callaway blew Indians manager Terry Francona away during his interview to be Cleveland's pitching coach five years ago. Francona did not know Callaway previously, but his blend of energy, knowledge and passion made it clear that he was the man for the job. Callaway never stopped impressing Francona, who began touting his pitching coach over the past few years as a future manager. That future arrived on Sunday, when multiple sources confirmed to MLB.com that Callaway is on the verge of being named the Mets' new manager. A three-year deal is expected to be finalized Sunday and could be announced on Monday. "He's so good," Francona said during a sit-down with local reporters last week at Progressive Field. "And I would be surprised if that doesn't lead to him managing if he wants to at some point, because he's really good." MLB Network Insider Joel Sherman first reported on the decision to hire Callaway. Neither the Mets nor Indians have commented on the news. Once New York makes the move official, Callaway will be the second member of Francona's first staff in Cleveland to be hired as a manager elsewhere. Kevin Cash was the bullpen coach under Francona in 2013-14 with the Indians before being hired as the manager for the Rays prior to the '15 season. When Cash left Cleveland, the Indians hired Jason Bere as its new bullpen coach. Bere will likely be considered for Callaway's former position after working with the pitching coach for the past three seasons. John Farrell, who was recently dismissed from his role as manager of the Red Sox, was the pitching coach under Francona during his time at the helm in Boston from 2007-10. Francona and Farrell remain close friends, but Cleveland will likely look elsewhere to fill its pitching coach vacancy. Both Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations, and Francona declined to comment on Sunday. Indians pitcher Josh Tomlin, who is the longest-tenured player in the organization and has worked with a handful of different pitching coaches over the years in Cleveland, was not surprised to hear that a team targeted Callaway to manage. "You could see it from the get-go, just the confidence that he exuded through coaching," Tomlin said on Sunday night. " He kind of has an overall view on how to use a scouting report and use the information that he was given to kind of tailor-make it for each guy on the staff, especially the starting rotation." When Francona came aboard in Cleveland prior to the '13 season, the Indians were coming off a 94-loss campaign in which their pitching staff ranked last in the American League with a 4.79 ERA. Over the next five years with Callaway leading the pitching staff, the Indians reached the postseason three times, won two division titles, captured an AL pennant in '16 and ranked first in the AL in wins (454) and ERA (3.64). During that five-year stretch, the Indians also led the AL in strikeouts (7,248) and did so on an average of 16.1 pitches per inning (tied for the fewest in the AL). "That's one thing Mickey harped on," Tomlin said. "Mickey would talk about, 'Do not shy away from contact, because all you guys have good enough stuff to get people out in the strike zone. So, do not shy away from it. Then, you're going to get more 0-1, 1-2 counts where batters are defensive, and you can get them to swing out of the zone eventually.'" This past season, Cleveland's pitching staff -- led by AL Cy Young candidate Corey Kluber -- set single-season Major League records for strikeouts (1,614), strikeouts per nine innings (10.1) and WAR (31.7, per FanGraphs). The Indians' staff also led MLB in ERA (3.30), FIP (3.33) and strikeout percentage (27.5 percent). In '13, Callaway was instrumental in helping Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir revive their careers. Under the pitching coach's watch, Kluber went from a virtual unknown to one of the best arms in baseball. Callaway and Cash helped convince Francona to put Carlos Carrasco back in the rotation late in '14 -- a move that helped the pitcher develop into a solid No. 2 starter. Those are only a few examples of the success stories aided by Callaway. "The first thing that I noticed when the season started our first year was his level of confidence," Francona said. "It seemed to me that it exceeded his experience. Then, as you watch him and you're with him every day, you see that that confidence allowed him to have other voices, and get input from other people, and sift through that and take what he wanted. But my goodness, he had such an impact on the pitching staff." Mickey Callaway moving on: Indians pitching coach expected to be named Mets manager Mike Fitzpatrick | The Associated PressPublished on Oct. 23, 2017 | Updated 6:45 a. m. NEW YORK — Looking for a fresh voice to shepherd their prized arms, the Mets found it in new manager Mickey Callaway. New York agreed to a three-year contract Sunday with the Cleveland Indians pitching coach, according to a person familiar with the decision. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. A news conference to introduce Callaway as Terry Collins’ replacement is expected within the next few days. With his contract set to expire, Collins stepped down at the end of the season after seven years as Mets manager and accepted a position as a special assistant to general manager Sandy Alderson. The 42-year-old Callaway, who has never managed at any professional level, has done an excellent job as Cleveland’s pitching coach for the past five seasons under highly successful manager Terry Francona. Led by ace Corey Kluber, the Indians led the major leagues with a 3.30 ERA and 1,614 strikeouts this season — one year after reaching the World Series and losing to the Chicago Cubs in seven games. “The first thing that I noticed when the season started our first year was his level of confidence,” Francona said this month. “It seemed to me that it exceeded his experience. Then, as you watch him and you’re with him every day, you see that that confidence allowed him to have other voices, and get input from other people, and sift through that and take what he wanted. But my goodness, he had such an impact on the pitching staff. He’s so good.” This season, Cleveland won an AL-best 102 games and its second consecutive AL Central title. But the Indians squandered a 2-0 lead in the Division Series and were eliminated by the New York Yankees in five games. Other candidates for the job were Mets hitting coach Kevin Long, Mariners third base coach Manny Acta and White Sox bench coach Joe McEwing. The team also interviewed Houston bench coach Alex Cora, according to reports. Cora was hired Sunday as manager of the Boston Red Sox. Long’s contract with the Mets is about to expire but the team would like to keep him on the staff. New York was thought to be looking for a manager well-versed in modern analytics, and Callaway fits that bill after coaching in a progressive Indians organization that has developed a winning team with a modest payroll. He also was considered a top contender for the manager opening with the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies. Callaway spent five seasons as a big league pitcher with Tampa Bay, Texas and the Angels, going 4-11 with a 6.27 ERA. The right-hander appeared in 40 games, making 20 starts, and was a member of a World Series championship team with the Angels in 2002, though he did not participate in the postseason. The Mets are built around a talented but fragile pitching staff highlighted by ace starters Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, along with closer Jeurys Familia. The group steered New York all the way to the 2015 World Series and a second straight playoff berth last year, but the injury-riddled Mets (70-92) plummeted to fourth place this year during their worst season this decade. Two days after the season ended, the Mets announced longtime pitching coach Dan Warthen would not return in that role next year, a move that rankled Syndergaard and others. The popular Warthen arrived in June 2008, even before Collins, and oversaw one of baseball’s best staffs the past few seasons. But a banged- up group completely crumbled this year, with a 5.01 ERA that ranked 28th out of 30 major league teams. New York was third in 2016 at 3.57 and fourth the year before (3.43). Cleveland has consistently had one of baseball’s top staffs the past few years. In addition to Kluber, several other pitchers have blossomed under Callaway, including starters Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco and Mike Clevinger, and relievers Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw. Callaway became the Indians’ pitching coach when Francona was hired before the 2013 season. Kluber won the 2014 AL Cy Young Award and is a front-runner for the prize again this year. The 68-year-old Collins was the longest-tenured skipper in club history and the oldest manager in the majors. The New York Post first reported Sunday the Mets had chosen Callaway and the sides were finalizing a deal.