METS ANNOUNCE 2020 COACHING STAFF

METS ANNOUNCE 2020 COACHING STAFF

FLUSHING, N.Y., December 8, 2019 – The New York Mets announced today their full coaching staff for the 2020 season. Returning to serve under Carlos Beltrán’s staff in their previous capacity will be hitting coach Chili Davis, assistant hitting coach Tom Slater, third base coach Gary DiSarcina, bullpen coach Ricky Bones and quality control coach Luis Rojas, while Jeremy Accardo has been elevated to assistant pitching coach. In addition, bench coach Hensley Meulens, pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and first base coach Tony DeFrancesco all join the staff.

“We are excited to complete our coaching staff following a very thoughtful and extensive process,” Mets Executive Vice President & General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen said. “Carlos drove this search and prioritized talented coaches who share his player’s first vision and complement his skill sets.”

“I am looking forward to working with this talented, knowledgeable and experienced group,” Mets Manager Carlos Beltrán said. “Each member of the staff brings a unique perspective and expertise that will give myself and all of our players the tools they need to succeed.”

Hensley Meulens, 52, will serve as the Mets bench coach. He joins the organization after spending the last 10 years with the San Francisco Giants, serving eight years as the hitting coach and the last two as the team’s bench coach under Bruce Bochy. Meulens helped the Giants win the World Series three times in his first five seasons with the club. In addition, the Willemstad, Curacao native represented The Netherlands in the 2000 Olympics. Meulens would later serve as a coach for Holland during the 2004 Olympics and manage the 2013 and 2017 Dutch World Baseball Classic teams. As a player, Meulens spent seven years in the major leagues with the New York Yankees, Montreal Expos and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He also played professionally in Japan with the Chiba Lotte Mariners and the Yakult Swallows.

Jeremy Hefner, 33, rejoins the organization as the team’s pitching coach. The 33-year-old spent the 2019 season with the Minnesota Twins where he served as the team’s assistant pitching coach. Prior to that, Hefner spent two seasons as a major league advance scout for the Twins. The right-handed pitcher was originally drafted twice by the Mets in 2004 and again in 2005, before he was selected by the Twins in the fifth round in 2007. He pitched 11 seasons professionally, including two seasons in the major leagues with the Mets from 2012-13, where he combined to go 8-15 with a 4.65 ERA (116 earned runs/224.1 innings) in 50 games (36 starts).

Tony DeFrancesco, 56, joins the major league coaching staff as first base coach after spending the last two seasons managing the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate. The 2020 season will mark the Bronx native’s third season in the organization and 37^th year as a player, coach or manager in professional baseball. Next year will mark his third stint in the major leagues. DeFrancesco served as the Houston Astros interim manager in 2012 and as the Oakland Athletics third base coach in 2008. In 2015, he was named Baseball America's Minor League Manager of the Year after leading Houston’s Triple-A affiliate in Fresno to its first Pacific Coast League Championship in franchise history as well as its first Triple-A National Championship. In 16 seasons as a manager at the Triple-A level, his clubs have won eight division titles, four PCL Championships and two Triple-A National Championships. A catcher during his playing days, DeFrancesco played eight seasons in the minor leagues with Boston and Cincinnati. A 1981 graduate of Suffern High, DeFrancesco played three seasons at Seton Hall University and was drafted in the ninth round by the Boston Red Sox in 1984.

Hitting Coach Chili Davis, 59, returns for his second season with the Mets, while assistant hitting coach Tom Slater, 51, will come back for his third. In 2019, the Mets saw an improvement in almost every offensive category. Last season, New York ranked second in the National League wRC+ (104), fifth in home runs (242) and sixth in OBP (.328) as well as slugging percentage (.442). Davis has served as a major league hitting coach since 2012, making stops at Oakland, Boston and Chicago-NL. Prior to joining the Mets in 2018, Slater worked in college and in the Yankees organization, serving at various levels in their system since 2009.

Ricky Bones, 50, returns as bullpen coach. He rejoined the major league staff in June of last year after starting the season as pitching coach for St. Lucie (A). He was the Mets bullpen coach from 2012-2018 and had previously served as a coach in the Mets minor league system for six years from 2006-2011. Bones was the pitching coach for Team Puerto Rico during the 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classic. He pitched 11 years in the majors with the Padres, Brewers, Yankees, Reds, Royals, Orioles and Marlins, going 63-82 with a 4.85 ERA and was an All-Star in 1994.

Gary DiSarcina, 52, returns for his third season with the Mets and his second as third base coach. He previously was the bench coach for Boston (2017), the third base coach for the Angels (2014-2015) and the first base coach for the Angels (2016). DiSarcina managed four years in the minors from 2007-2009 and in 2013 all in Boston's farm system. He posted winning records in each of those four years and following the 2013 season, Baseball America named him the Minor League Manager of the Year. DiSarcina played 12 years (1989-2000) in the majors with the Angels as an infielder, hitting .258 in 1,086 games and was an All-Star in 1995. A native of Billerica, MA, he was inducted into the UMass Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

Jeremy Accardo, 38, will be elevated to the role of assistant pitching coach. In this position, Accardo will work closely with pitching coach Jeremy Heffner to execute game strategy. The former right-handed pitcher joined the major league staff in June last year as the team’s newly-created role of pitching strategist. Next season will mark his fourth year in the Mets organization, serving as the Mets minor league pitching coordinator in 2019, bullpen coach for Las Vegas (AAA) of the Pacific Coach League in 2018 and 2017 as the pitching coach for the rookie-level Gulf Coach Mets. Accardo spent parts of eight years in the majors with the Giants, Blue Jays, Orioles, Indians and Athletics, going 10-20 with 38 saves and a 4.30 ERA.

Luis Rojas, 38, returns to the role of quality control coach for the second season. In his role, Rojas will continue to serve as a conduit between the front office and coaching staff on all issues including game preparation, strategy and analytics. Rojas had previously managed Binghamton, the Mets Double-A affiliate, from 2017-18 and in the Mets Minor League system since 2011, compiling a .537 (550-474) winning percentage. This will mark his 15th year in the organization. He guided Savannah to the South Atlantic League championship in 2013 and was named the South Atlantic League Manager of the Year in 2014. During this offseason, Rojas managed the Dominican Republic in the 2019 WBSC Premier12 tournament. The outfielder played in the Orioles, Marlins and Expos/Nationals Minor League systems from 1999-2005.