Manny Acta has been fired as manager of the putrid Washington Nationals. Jim Riggleman will take over in his place as interim manager.
When Acta was with the Mets, there was some indication that he might be in line for the job the next time it was available. Ownership was very high on him before he jumped ship to join the Nats.
Now, with a season teetering on the brink of disaster, the Mets brass might be prime to shake things up in the coaching staff.
First base coach Luis Alicea could be an odd-man out if the Mets do go through with any firings. It’s not that Alicea has done anything wrong, per say, but just to light a fire under the remaining coaches and the team to show they better kick it up a notch, it might be a move they consider.
In Alicea’s place, the team would likely try to bring in Acta, again.
I’m against that. Acta was a coach under Willie Randolph and bringing him back into the fold would be taking a few steps back. It would also be a punch to the guy of Jerry Manuel, a manager who has already suffered enough this season.
I wouldn’t want to see Acta back in a Mets uniform even if he’s the bat boy. At a minor league level, though, it’s a different story.
The Buffalo Bisons are about as bad as the Nationals, both with winning percentages below .400. A shakeup there might be the best thing for everyone.
All in all, Acta steered the mostly talent-less Nationals to a 158-252 record in his years in Washington. Talk about a mercy firing.
