Arizona Fall League could be test for Mets coach Tom Goodwin

On Tuesday, October 11, Tom Goodwin made his debut as manager for the Scottsdale Scorpions, the Arizona Fall League team comprised of players from the Giants, Mets, Phillies, and Yankees. It was not his debut to managing, as he served as manager for the Lewisville Lizards, one of the original four teams of the Continental Baseball League, in 2007. The team went 19-25 in their one and only season in operation, as the club folded after the season ended.

After his year with the Lizards, Goodwin was selected by first-year manager Gary DiSarcina to serve as bench coach for the Lowell Spinners, the Short-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Spinners went 40-33 in 2008, clinching first place in the New York-Penn League Stedler Division, but lost to the Batavia Muckdogs in the semi-finals of the league playoffs two games to one. After finding himself out of baseball for a few years, Goodwin was hired by the Mets in 2011, and has served as the team’s first base coach ever since.

Goodwin had assistance from current Binghamton Mets manager Pedro Lopez during Scottsdale’s 9-6 victory over the Glendale Desert Dogs on Tuesday, as Lopez who was in town in case the Mets made an extended playoff run and their first base coach was unavailable to manage, but all wins and losses going forward will be on Goodwin’s own. With managerial positions open within the organization with the dismissal of Wally Backman from the Las Vegas 51s and the recent retirement of Brooklyn Cyclones skipper Tom Gamboa this past September, his experience with the Scorpions may be a test to gauge his readiness for managing, if the Mets are interested in adding him to the organization in that capacity.