Mickey Callaway already has a plan to revitalize Mets’ rotation
PORT ST. LUCIE — He was wearing flip-flops on this sunny and warm Friday, but Mets manager Mickey Callaway has hit the ground running at First Data Field.
Callaway broke down some specific plans on how he will handle the rotation, as he and pitching coach Dave Eiland begin the quest to keep Mets starters healthy, a staff that includes Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom and Matt Harvey.
“If you look at our starting pitchers,” Callaway told The Post, “there are 25 teams out there that would love to have who we have. So we can make adjustments along the way.”
Callaway has mapped out with Eiland, who was Callaway’s mentor when he pitched in the Rays organization, a major change to the pitchers’ preparation routine.
There will be a pre-workout, what the pitchers do before they even hit the field.
“When I look at this staff and think about them, I see the same thing that they had in Cleveland,” said Callaway, 42, who was the Indians’ pitching coach the previous five seasons. “The one difference has been the health — if we get them healthy and get them in good routines to keep them that way.”
Cleveland’s 3.30 ERA was the best in baseball last year. The Mets were 27th at 5.14.
“You have to have that routine in place at all times,” Callaway said. “We are going to implement some things that maybe they haven’t done before.
“Everyone I’ve been around pretty much walks outside, stretches, plays catch, they do their bullpen. Our pitchers in Cleveland had about an hour-and-a-half routine before they even went out and played catch. They were with massage therapists, then they were with trainers, getting all these hands-on things done, then they went to the weight room to see the strength coach for extra stretching, then they went on the bike, then they went outside and stretched.
“It’s pre-hab. If we can implement those types of things, we have a better chance to stay healthy. It does work. When you present it to these guys, they are going to want to do it.”
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Also, be prepared for a six-man rotation.
“We may go to a six-man rotation at some point to give guys a break when we can,” Callaway said. “I pitched over in Asia, and when you start pitching every sixth day, it is a hundred times easier. It really is. I think we have enough depth to make those adjustments.
“There might be times when we have an off-day coming up and we can make that happen without using the extra pitcher or we can slide a guy in and go from there. For any team to expect to use five starters a whole season is silly.
As for how he will work with his pitchers, Callaway said: “You have to listen to guys. To create a relationship, you have to listen. It can’t be, ‘You have to do this to get you back to who you were.’ ”
To that end, Callaway will ask pitchers: “What do you need?”
That is the starting point.
“You work on their confidence and feeling comfortable again. That goes a long way,” Callaway said. “You have to get feedback from players, especially today. These guys are more like people today. When I played, players were more like warriors. I don’t know if it’s better for baseball or not, but they’re different.”
Sounds like the perfect recipe to get Harvey and the others going in the right direction. Callaway and Harvey have talked a number of times and have texted.
“He’s excited,” Callaway said. “He’s sending me videos.”
Accountability is the word.
“The thing I love about Dave [Eiland] is he holds guys accountable, and that’s what we need,” Callaway said. “You’ll notice on our coaching staff, every guy has that quality. That’s how you show people you care. It’s holding them responsible for the things that they need to do to make them better. It’s not for us. It’s for them to be the best versions of themselves.
“I’m just excited to get everyone together. We can compete at a very, very, very high level if we do the things we need to do.”
With many Mets arriving here for pre-camp next week, the plans will be implemented.