Mets Announce Wally Backman Will Return as Triple-A Manager in Las Vegas

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson announced today that Wally Backman will return as the organization's Triple-A manager in 2013. The team will, of course, play in Las Vegas after its relatively brief stint in Buffalo ended after the 2012 season.

Backman, who was an infielder for the Mets from 1980 through 1988, has been in the Mets' minor league system as a manager for a few years now. He managed the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2010, and many Mets fans favored him for the big league team's managerial gig at the end of that season. The team went with Terry Collins, of course, and Backman got a promotion to manage the team's Double-A affiliate in Binghamton in 2011. He was promoted once again this year to manage Triple-A Buffalo.

While it's nearly impossible to account for how much of an effect a manager can have on a team, Backman seems generally well regarded by the players who have played for him over the past few seasons.