Former Met Dave Magadan Endorses Tim Bogar For Next Manager

New York Mets managerial candidate Tim Bogar is down to one of the four finalists for the position, and has a longtime friend and former Met in his corner.

Dave Magadan recently spoke with Mike Puma of the New York Post and told him that Bogar would be a really good manager for New York.

As Puma notes, the two missed being teammates by just one season, but over the years have coached together and become friends.

“I love Bogie,” Magadan said. “He’s an attention-to-detail guy. I think he’s really good.”

Magadan, who currently serves as the hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies, coached alongside Bogar in Boston under Terry Francona‘s tutelage, as well as in Texas where Bogar served as interim manager in 2014.

Then-Rangers manager, Ron Washington, stepped down with 22 games left in the season, and Bogar stepped right in and took control of the team.

“We were a mess, just because we had a ton of injuries at the time,” Magadan said of the 2014 Rangers. “And then with the turmoil with Wash resigning, Bogie kind of took the lead and he met with all the players and kind of calmed everybody down.

“I had never seen him in that setting as a leader and it was pretty cool to watch and we all thought he was going to get the job there in Texas, especially after we turned things around that last month, and it didn’t happen and we were all kind of surprised.”

Though he was not retained as manager by Texas after that season, he spent 2015 in the front office of the Los Angeles Angels, then coaching with the Seattle Mariners before latching on with the Washington Nationals the last two seasons.

“I am a little biased because we are friends, but he’s got a lot of great leadership skills, and I think he can toe that line between relating to the players and dealing with the front office and all the analytical stuff and he’s really sharp,” Magadan said. “He spent some in the front office, too, in Anaheim, so I think he is ready.

“I was surprised that he over the years had not gotten a chance to manage, especially after what he did in Texas, so it’s good he’s getting at least a shot again.”

Magadan himself was interviewed by the Mets; last offseason for the hitting coach position. The job ultimately went to Chili Davis, another friend of Magadan’s.

“I never mind losing out to Chili because I know he’s a great hitting coach and he ended up being a great fit, especially for those younger players,” Magadan said. “[Jeff] McNeil and Pete [Alonso] obviously had a tremendous year, so if I’m going to lose out to anybody, it’s OK that it’s Chili.”