MLB: Ranking the Top 10 General Managers in Baseball

9. Sandy Alderson, New York Mets

• 2015 Payroll: $106,936,780 – 19th in MLB
• Assumed Position: October 29, 2010
• Mets Accomplishments: Ranked No. 5 Organization by Baseball America

No question about it: New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson hasn’t done anything in the Big Apple yet. He took the helm in 2010, and so far, Mets fans are still waiting for the promise to shake out.

Still, just like with the Royals and their wait to finally pop, the Mets are on the brink of breaking out thanks to the moves that Alderson has made.

First of all, Alderson enjoyed a world of success prior to coming to New York. With the Oakland Athletics from 1983 to 1997, Alderson was the architect of a team who won the 1987 World Series and three AL Pennants.

Due to the fact new ownership forced a drastic decrease in payroll in the middle-90’s, he became a Sabermetrician who groomed his eventual successor, Billy Beane.

Now he’s taken a payroll that only ranks 19th in the majors and created the fifth best organizational talent according to Baseball America.

Alderson is another example of a boss who recognizes which direction baseball is currently heading: pitching, pitching and more pitching. With baseball suffering through an overall batting average of .252 in 2014 – lowest since the .244 mark set back in 1972 – pitching has become even more valuable than it already was.

The collection arms that have been gathered in the Mets system is nothing short of outstanding.

Ace Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom were already in the system upon Alderson’s arrival. Adding guys like Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, Marcos Molina and Rafael Montero have almost guaranteed New York a bright future by itself.

Trading aging Carlos Beltran for Wheeler; and R.A. Dickey to Toronto for Travis d’Arnaud and Syndergaard will both prove to be sparkling transactions when it’s all said and done.

Alderson knows Harvey is special. He has the exact temperament needed to become the next face of New York baseball after Derek Jeter’s departure. Harvey has all the talent, confidence, attitude and leadership abilities in the world.

While the 2015 big club might not possess enough team speed and defense to be great, they do have a realistic postseason shot.

Once position players like Brandon Nimmo, Dilson Herrera, Kevin Plawecki and Michael Conforto finally make it to the show, their pitching will already be filthy and the Mets will have overtaken the Yankees as New York’s team.

Next: No. 8