Wally Backman Will Manage Double-A Binghamton Mets

by Eric Simon on Dec 29, 2010 10:22 PM EST

Adam Rubin reports that Wally Backman and his belly fire will be the new manager of the Double-A Binghamton Mets, a big promotion from last year's role at the helm of the Brooklyn Cyclones of the NY Penn league, some three levels below Binghamton. Tim Teufel, who managed Binghamton last year, will shuffle on up to Triple-A Buffalo to replace Ken Oberkfell, who in turn was promoted to the big club to serve as Terry Collins's bench coach.

Rubin notes a few other changes in Binghamton:

The Triple-A staff also is expected to include Ricky Bones returning as pitching coach and Luis Natera serving as hitting coach. Natera was the Bisons' hitting coach during the first half of the 2009 season, before being sent to Binghamton for the remainder of that season.

Jack Voigt, who was Buffalo's hitting coach last season, is expected to assume Mookie Wilson's former role as minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator.

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beautiful.

as a student at binghamton university, this is great news. going to the bars just got a whole lot more interesting.

drew

by lbeachdrew on Dec 29, 2010 10:51 PM EST reply actions 2 recs

Alumni here, Bingo Mets was one of the few great things about Bingoland.

Unfortunately our minors sucked while I went there 96-00 after promoting all the good prospects in the mid 90s. I think I saw Ty Wiggington, Grant Roberts, Preston Wilson, Alex Escobar and Jason Tyner during my time there.

by FrancoTAU on Dec 29, 2010 11:00 PM EST up reply actions

I was in Bingo U for the summer of 2000

That was one of the great summers of my life. Me and three friends in a huge mansion on Chapin street, drinking every night at a towny bar called the Bellmar. Those were my last credits before graduating, so I just did P/F and had a party. Good times.

"There’s talent in these here waters. Alderson just has to clear up the algae around the edges." - RJ Anderson / Fangraphs

by Dandy Salderson on Dec 30, 2010 1:27 PM EST up reply actions

Belmar is such a dump, but was the only good laid back bar in town.

I spent most of my nights at the Rat. Every other bar was either full of young ’uns or townies that would shank you.

by FrancoTAU on Dec 30, 2010 8:36 PM EST up reply actions

How far is the stadium from the school?

I know a person or two who goes there, so I could use seeing them as an excuse to go see a ballgame.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 453 posts (10/03/10)

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Dec 29, 2010 11:49 PM EST up reply actions

Really close, it's got to be less than 5 miles.

by FrancoTAU on Dec 30, 2010 12:30 AM EST up reply actions

by the way

an open invitation to readers in the area to come drink/attend games with the binghamton water polo team.

drew

by lbeachdrew on Dec 29, 2010 10:55 PM EST reply actions

ROAD TRIP!!!

"The Mets are gonna be amazing!" - Casey Stengel

by Russ on Dec 29, 2010 11:42 PM EST up reply actions

I like the Teufel and Backman promotions.

I like Backman’s potential after some real experience. This will show us whether he’s a set in stone small ball guy or if he was just managing Brooklyn like the instructional league that it is.

by FrancoTAU on Dec 29, 2010 11:01 PM EST reply actions

not to overanalyze this in grissiony terms...

…but Wally Backman screams “Binghamton” to me. He’s a hardscrabble, blue-collar kind of guy who faced some rough times recently, which is a pretty accurate description of Binghamton too.

Went to one B-Mets game while in college. I remember watching the freight trains roll in and out of the yards behind the left field wall.

"It’s just everytime we think the bar can’t get lower, they lower it. Now next year we’ll just be happy to hear that rogue shirtless officials aren’t implementing useless detrimental drills in spring training for no apparent reason."

-Gina, 3/1/10

by Greenpoint Ian on Dec 29, 2010 11:12 PM EST reply actions

I have no problems with this

Binghamton probably isn’t going to steamroll through the league like the Cyclones did. So, gross deficiencies in his managing style will be more apparent. Let’s see if he’s learned, adapted, etc.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 453 posts (10/03/10)

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Dec 29, 2010 11:50 PM EST reply actions

I'd expect the B-Mets to be crappy in the first half

and to be quite good in the second half. This is because I’m guessing that a lot of the high-A talent will be promoted by mid-season. Between Matt Harvey, Wilmer Flores, Cory Vaughn, Matt den Dekker, and Cesar Puello, just to name a handful, some will be promoted.

I also expect Kai Gronauer to struggle early in the season until he adjusts to AA pitching.

Another wildcard in AA will be Jordany Valdespin. He didn’t do too well with AA pitching in 2010. We’ll see if he is able to develop some plate discipline.

The pitching is a huge question mark. I’m hoping that Sandy & Co. get minor league pitching instruction in order fast.

"The Mets are gonna be amazing!" - Casey Stengel

by Russ on Dec 30, 2010 7:13 AM EST up reply actions

Honestly, I would rather have seen him at St. Lucie

this season and Binghamton in 2012. Many of the 2010 Brooklyn players will be in high-A in 2011, and I’d like to see whether they can repeat. Frequently, ‘fired up’ managers have a big impact one season, then fizzle upon extended exposure. Giving Wally a new group of players won’t help to evaluate that.

by Curtis3331 on Dec 30, 2010 1:25 AM EST reply actions

good to see guys getting promoted from within

and getting ready possibly to be promoted to the big leagues as a manager

Any task BIG or small, Do it well or not at all

by Rickfansince76 on Dec 30, 2010 7:33 AM EST reply actions

When I first read this, I thought that Obie had died or something

and Teufel was his replacement for bench coach.

Anyway: congrats to Wally and Timmy.

by JoeBighead on Dec 30, 2010 8:49 AM EST reply actions

Not the first time Backman will be managing in upstate NY

My boss used to own an independent team in Mountaindale, NY called the Catskill Cougars. Because Backman was so down and out in baseball he agreed to come up and manage the team. He lasted a couple years with the team. My boss has told me countless stories of boozing with Backman almost every single night. I’ve seen many picture to prove it. Hopefully I can drop the name to Wally and see his reaction. I expect him to burst out laughing. My boss is quite the character.

by BigBoyJacobs on Dec 30, 2010 9:29 AM EST reply actions

I see a Backman - Teufel Management platoon soon.

by CatchDog on Dec 30, 2010 9:44 AM EST reply actions 1 recs

I have problems with this

How does Teufel continue to get promoted? He has lost almost 100 games more than won in his tenure as a manager in our system, yet gets rocketed up the ladder like a Latin teenage shortshop. This organization is awful.

R.A. Dickey "I do have thoughts on that. I don’t want to make them public."
THE WALTER REED 3 - Terrible Teammates, Worse Human Beings.

by Mookes7 on Dec 30, 2010 9:47 AM EST reply actions

1986 and money owed means a free pass I guess

And no its not a good plan to continue to promote “Timmy” as stated by several folks above

R.A. Dickey "I do have thoughts on that. I don’t want to make them public."
THE WALTER REED 3 - Terrible Teammates, Worse Human Beings.

by Mookes7 on Dec 30, 2010 9:50 AM EST up reply actions

Your last 20 comments have been either

a) hating something the Mets did
b) non sequitur whining about the “Walter Reed 3”, a topic long forgotten and one you’re wrong about anyway
c) antagonizing other community members for simple things, like stating an affinity for ’Kiner’s Korner’

I don’t have the time to look past those 20 but if memory serves most all of your comments are in the same vein. Is that all you’re going to contribute going forward? Is misery really that enjoyable?

by James Kannengieser on Dec 30, 2010 10:35 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs

Does Teufel deserve the position?

R.A. Dickey "I do have thoughts on that. I don’t want to make them public."
THE WALTER REED 3 - Terrible Teammates, Worse Human Beings.

by Mookes7 on Dec 30, 2010 10:43 AM EST up reply actions

Sorry I will try to rein myself in

The last administration ruined my attitude and broke my spirit. But does Teufel deserve the promotion? How does Sandy Alderson, admitted outsider with little knowledge of the organization, look at facts and concludes Tim Teufel deserves to be 1) a manager in my organization and 2) at a higher position than the one he previously held? Maybe its conversations with the players, I don’t know. It just doesn’t make sense to me.

R.A. Dickey "I do have thoughts on that. I don’t want to make them public."
THE WALTER REED 3 - Terrible Teammates, Worse Human Beings.

by Mookes7 on Dec 30, 2010 10:51 AM EST up reply actions

Minor League Win/loss?

That really doesn’t matter in the long run as far as evaluating minor league managers are concerned. Consider that they’re constantly dealing with a shuffling of players and are often saddled with talented players who still don’t know how to play the game. Really, the only way to evaluate them is to watch them on a game-by-game basis and determine whether the moves they do are beneficial or detrimental to the team. Having said that, I have no idea if Tim Teufel is a good manager but if Sandy thinks he’s done enough to warrant a promotion, I believe him.

by Lunkwill Fook on Dec 30, 2010 10:59 AM EST up reply actions

There is no reason to believe that Teufel does not deserve to be promoted

A minor league manager’s winning percentage is based mostly on the talent that he has. The Mets have not given him much to work with.

A minor league manager’s primary job is player development. As far as Sandy being new to the organization, I’m sure that he weighs Terry Collins’ opinion heavily to determine this. Unless you can actually offer credible evidence that Teufel can’t do the job, you might want hold back on the rants.

"The Mets are gonna be amazing!" - Casey Stengel

by Russ on Dec 30, 2010 11:00 AM EST up reply actions

His record?

R.A. Dickey "I do have thoughts on that. I don’t want to make them public."
THE WALTER REED 3 - Terrible Teammates, Worse Human Beings.

by Mookes7 on Dec 30, 2010 11:01 AM EST up reply actions

Is irrelevant

Player development is what is most important and you have absolutely no way of credibly making such an assessment.

"The Mets are gonna be amazing!" - Casey Stengel

by Russ on Dec 30, 2010 11:03 AM EST up reply actions

Ok bro

Explain to me Tim Teufel’s player development track record? What was his credentials and achievement for his promotion?

R.A. Dickey "I do have thoughts on that. I don’t want to make them public."
THE WALTER REED 3 - Terrible Teammates, Worse Human Beings.

by Mookes7 on Dec 30, 2010 5:55 PM EST up reply actions

We're kind of a circular argument here.

It’s just one of those things you’re going to have to trust the front office with. I mean, do you get this worked up over whoever the instructional league pitching coach is? He probably does more help/harm than the AAA manager can ever do.

by FrancoTAU on Dec 30, 2010 8:48 PM EST up reply actions

Exactly

We don’t have the Mets’ internal human resource files, and throwing a temper tantrum on a blog won’t change that.

"The Mets are gonna be amazing!" - Casey Stengel

by Russ on Dec 30, 2010 9:04 PM EST up reply actions

I truly have no opinion on Teufel's abilities either way

But I guess one could argue that our minor league system have been ranked at the bottom by everyone and hence Timmy can’t turn shit into diamonds. Our AA pitching was god awful.

by FrancoTAU on Dec 30, 2010 8:46 PM EST up reply actions