Wally Backman will go anywhere they let him manage.
The former Mets World Series second baseman and longtime coach in the organization, a season after managing in the Mexico Baseball League, will be the skipper of the New Britain (Conn.) Bees of the Atlantic League. The division is independent, with no affiliation with Major League Baseball.
“Wally Backman is a proven winner,” Bees GM Brad Smith said in a statement Thursday. “His ability to instill a winning atmosphere and put an entertaining club on the field are two significant factors in bringing him aboard. We look forward to a successful 2018 season working with Wally and hope everyone joins us in welcoming him to the Central Connecticut community.”
Backman managed Acereros de Monclova last year for 42 games before being fired. He stuck around south of the border, though, becoming the bench coach of Pericos de Puebla. Two seasons after his split from the Mets as Triple-A manager, Backman still is bouncing around awaiting a major league chance.
“I’m excited to get going in New Britain,” Backman said. “Atlantic League teams care about winning and helping players careers grow. Those are two things I am very passionate about. I look forward to working with everyone there. Our team will play the game with passion and give their best effort every day. We are going to put a great product on the field that fans will be proud of.”
Backman was in the Mets system from 2009-16, getting interviewed for the big-league job in 2011 in a competition Terry Collins won.
Backman was fired — though he says he resigned — at the conclusion of the 2016 season, when, according to club sources, he did not follow the team’s requests in helping a few of the players grow. The situation turned especially ugly in the aftermath, as Backman alleged GM Sandy Alderson “blackballed” him out of baseball.