In 2004 young minor league coach Carlos Mendoza started his career with the Yankees. The first time he saw the legendary George Steinbrenner he was truly awed because he had heard of the legend of the Boss but to witness him in person was truly an amazing thing.
I asked Carlos how did that impact him and he said in more ways than he could ever imagine.
He tried to explain how that would help develop his future leadership skills. Carlos was happy to have seen the Boss while Mr. Steinbrenner was still active in running the sport’s greatest franchise.
Carlos says that he learned from so many through the years. I guess you can say that he was truly a sponge in learning not just the Yankee way but the overall baseball way.
According to so many in the game, Mendoza is a great communicator of young and old. Many coaches have said that they are not at all surprised by the success of Mendoza. Former minor leaguer Matt Duran told me that Mendoza was his favorite coach because of his passion and inspirational skills.
When talking to Mets president David Stearn, the first word out of his mouth was Consistency. He said that Mindy as Mendoza is affectionately known is always so consistent with everything he does.
You can tell that his players have a wonderful affection for him. Harrison Bader got to know Mendoza while with the Yankees and his respect for his manager has only grown while playing for the Mets.
Atlanta Braves third baseman Gio Urshela spent four years with Mendoza at the Yankees. Gio said that they don’t come better than Mendoza. He is more than just Baseball. He is about life and about caring for thy fellow man.
Carlos has a great respect for Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen and loves the direction that the Mets owners want for this team.
I ran into Mets players alumni boss Jay Horwitz. He has been around the Mets for almost 50 years and has known all the great players, coaches, and managers. I asked him what he sees in Mendoza and Jay said… A man that truly appreciates what he is doing and only wants what is best for the team.
When George Steinbrenner died a big part of me died that day. Many people stopped acknowledging me because I lost my guy. However, Carlos Mendoza always went out of his way just to say hello. He didn’t know it but that hello meant so much to me. Many have told me the same thing about Mets manager Carlos Mendoza.
