5 candidates to replace Terry Collins as New York Mets manager

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 20: Manager Terry Collins #10 of the New York Mets watches from the dugout in an MLB baseball game against the Miami Marlins on August 20, 2017 at CitiField in the Queens borough of New York City. Marlins won 6-4. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /

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Mandatory Credit: Robert Beck-Icon Sportswire via Getty Images /

2. Howard Johnson

“HoJo” spent the best years of his playing career with the Mets (1985-1993), including a World Series title, two All-Star nods (1989, 1991) and finishing as the NL leader in home runs (38) and RBI (117) with 30 stolen bases during the 1991 campaign.

Johnson has a lot of experience as a coach, including a run as first base coach and then hitting coach for the Mets from 2007-2010. He was also a hitting coaching in the Seattle Mariners’ organization, at Triple-A and in the big leagues from 2013-2015, and Johnson is currently in the Texas Rangers’ organization as manager of the High Single-A Down East Wood Ducks.

Johnson is obviously a tie to the Mets’ 1986 World Series champions, and former teammate Lenny Dykstra called for Johnson to be hired as Mets’ manager a few months ago. That prophecy seems realistic, even coming from a loose cannon like Dykstra, and it has a good chance to come to fruition now with Collins all but officially on his way out.

Johnson is an appealing managerial candidate, for the Mets or maybe even the Tigers (where he started his playing career) when they surely fire Brad Ausmus. Some ground work may already be getting done on that front from the Mets’ end regarding Johnson, and if not it should be on Alderson’s radar very soon.

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