Edgardo Alfonzo is a finalist and leading candidate to manage the new minor league team the Staten Island Ferry Hawks, part of the independent Atlantic League, per Jon Heyman.
Fonzie, a member of the New York Mets Hall of Fame, last managed in 2019 for the Brooklyn Cyclones. He began with the Cyclones as their bench coach in 2014 and became the manager in 2017 when Tom Gamboa retired.
Alfonzo led the Cyclones to a New York – Penn League Championship in 2019. Just a little over a month later, the Mets informed Alfonzo that his contract would not be renewed.
Alfonzo is familiar with the Atlantic League. He had two stints on the Long Island Ducks and was a member of the Bridgeport Bluefish. He’d play a limited number of games with the Bluefish before returning to the Mets organization in 2006. Alfonzo also spent two seasons as part of the now-defunct Newark Bears of the Atlantic League, where he played with Armando Benitez.
Alfonzo won’t be the only former Met in an Atlantic League dugout if he’s hired. Wally Backman managed the Long Island Ducks in 2021 and has already been announced to return in 2022.
In 2021 with the Ducks, Backman managed the team to a record of 68-52, first in the league’s North Division. They lost the finals three games to one to the Lexington Legends.
The Independent League is littered with former Mets and players with Mets ties. Backman’s 2021 team had Ty Kelly, Akeel Morris, and Lee Mazzilli‘s son and former Mets prospect L.J. Mazzilli.
Alfonzo reached out to the Mets hoping for a return in a coaching or player development capacity but the organization made no indication they were interested in rehiring him. He currently serves as an ambassador to the club.
Mets director of player development, Kevin Howard, told Alfonzo that they had no openings right now.
The Mets rounded out their MLB coaching staff with a group of hires two weeks ago. Joining Buck Showalter will be Wayne Kirby as first base coach, Joey Cora at third base coach, Eric Chavez at hitting coach, Jeremy Hefner at pitching coach, and Glenn Sherlock as bench coach.
Alfonzo will forever keep his ties to the Mets org. His older brother, Edgar, managed four separate Mets minor league teams and his son Daniel was drafted by the Mets in 2017.
The post Edgardo Alfonzo Leading Candidate for Atlantic League Managerial Job first appeared on Metsmerized Online.
