So there it is. Carlos Mendoza today said he’d give up the No. 28 that reminded him of fleeting moments of youthful glory as a ballplayer so that JD Martinez will feel comfortable in his new home. Mendoza is switching to 64, which I fear is a little too undignified for a big-league manager. It also means third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh will need to find another number. 50 is theoretically available as its Phil Bickford whose been designated for assignment by the Mets to make room for Martinez on the 40.
Mendoza it should go without saying is the first No. 64 to manage the Mets and wearer of the highest-ever number among managers, knocking Frank Howard and Joe Frazier from the lead. Behold the sacred list.
| Manager | Years | Number |
| 1. Casey Stengel | 1962-65 | 37 |
| 2. Wes Westrum | 1965-67 | 9 |
| 3. Salty Parker | 1967 | 54 |
| 4. Gil Hodges | 1968-71 | 14 |
| 5. Yogi Berra | 1972-75 | 8 |
| 6. Roy McMillan | 1975 | 51 |
| 7. Joe Frazier | 1976-77 | 55 |
| 8. Joe Torre | 1977-81 | 9 |
| 9. George Bamberger | 1982-83 | 31 |
| 10. Frank Howard | 1983 | 55 |
| 11. Davey Johnson | 1984-1990 | 5 |
| 12. Bud Harrelson | 1990-91 | 3 |
| 13. Mike Cubbage | 1991 | 4 |
| 14. Jeff Torborg | 1992-93 | 10 |
| 15. Dallas Green | 1993-96 | 46 |
| 16. Bobby Valentine | 1996-2002 | 2 |
| 17. Art Howe | 2003-2004 | 18 |
| 18. Willie Randolph | 2005-2008 | 12 |
| 19. Jerry Manuel | 2008-2010 | 53 |
| 20. Terry Collins | 2011-2017 | 10 |
| 21. Mickey Callaway | 2018-2019 | 36/26* |
| 22. Carlos Beltran | 2020** | 15 |
| 23. Luis Rojas | 2020-2021 | 19 |
| 24. Buck Showalter | 2022-2023 | 11 |
| 25. Carlos Mendoza | 2024 | 64*** |
*-Switched to 26 upon announcement of Jerry Koosman retirement, 9/24/19
**-Did not appear in a game.
***-switched from 28 before the season
Well it looks like the mystery below has been settled on Twitter, or has it? Word now is that’s Marv Throneberry, based on his white sideburns. Here’s an image I found on the Internet. Could be him! Marv wore No. 2 as a Met but 55 seems like something they’d give a coach.
Another blast from the past, if you recall minor-league Mets, is Adam Kolarek, a lefty sidearmer wearing 66. Kolarek was a longshot prospect who got away and since been kicked around the league from Baltimore to Tampa to Los Angeles to Oakland to Atlanta, etc. The Mets got him from the Dodgers along with Phil Bickford in a cash deal at the deadline. A whole new middle-relief corps.
In some ways that was a more radical teardown than even I anticipated. For a time I was hoping to keep Justin Verlander in the hopes that he, Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana could be the start of a decent rotation for 2024. He got us two promising hitters instead. And how about that Dominic Leone trade? This was a guy we got off the trash heap in May and he brought back the Angels’ No. 9 prospect.
The problem with all this in-season wheeling and dealing is we’re left with a club that can’t beat the Royals. Thanks the the depletions of Tommy Pham and Mark Canha we’re running out palookas like Rafael Ortega (30) and Jonathan Arauz (19). We have new dudes in the bullpen I’ve hardly ever heard of like Reed Garrett (75) and Phil Bickford (50).