Sorry Cliff, I Tried: Tom Goodwin Named Mets 1B Coach

It is being reported by ESPN's Adam Rubin that the Mets will make an announcement on Monday that they've hire former Major League OF Tom Goodwin as their 1B coach for the 2012 season.

Goodwin, who played 14 seasons with the Dodgers, Royals, Rangers, Rockies, Giants and Cubs, will be the 1B coach as well as the OF and baserunning coach. The 43 year old's career ended in 2004.

One baseball official said of Goodwin: “He is outstanding.”


My partner and I would have loved to have seen Cliff Floyd named as 1B coach. As I wrote back on October 15th of this year:

“Cliff Floyd was a popular player with teammates and many fans. Although not a Gold Glove leftfielder, Floyd was a very solid outfielder. He developed a relationship with younger players while with the Mets. Remember how he took David Wright under his wing? Wright was crushed when Floyd left the Mets at the end of the 2006 season. “

I can't say that I know much of Tom Goodwin, other than he was a marginal player at best, but I hope Elvis knows what he's doing. Not that 1B coach is as important as a manager, but are his three years experience enough to make him such a pro coach candidate as someone like Wally Backman who has spent many years managing in the minors?

Backman wouldn't be a good candidate for 1B coach, but I believe he could have been TC's bench coach. As I stated in that same post:

“Backman doesn't fit well as a 1B coach for the Mets, nor has he been considered by the Mets. Tim Teufel, the newly appointed Mets 3B coach will be the infield coach as well. Backman doesn't have experience as an outfield coach, so that doesn't make him a likely candidate. “ “Wally Backman should have been a solid consideration for that position (bench coach), but the more we progress under the Sandy Alderson dictatorship, the more I realize that Backman being among the finalists for the Mets manager's position last year was nothing but a stunt to placate the Mets fan base. “

Now that the Mets have filled the void of 1B coach, now it's time for the team to move full speed ahead and re-sign Jose Reyes.