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With the team struggling, Jerry Manuel is on the hot seat, and rightfully so! Manuel and Mets management had a 90 minute meeting before Monday’s game at Atlanta. Manuel’s job insecurity is one that is expected. One thing that hasn’t been looked at is the hitting coach position. Howard Johnson should be on the hot seat at well and many of the teams struggles should be placed on him.
Yet the offense as a whole has been struggling, especially with runners in scoring position. Coming into Thursday’s game against the Florida Marlins the Mets are batting a dismal .247 as a team which ranks 23rd in the majors. Over the offseason they brought in Jason Bay who is hitting a whopping .277 with one homer and just 16 RBI’s so far in 2010. It seems for the last few seasons the Mets have been lacking the “big hit.” The fans and the media have been quick to blame the players, yet I think the philosophy at the plate with RISP is the problem. That problem is placed on the shoulders of Howard Johnson the New York Mets hitting coach. Has Howard Johnson worn out his welcome as New York Mets hitting coach?
I understand Johnson was an outstanding player in his hay day and Omar Minaya has stated that having Johnson around is a link to Mets history. Yet the offense has been down this season. Is it time to replace Howard Johnson as the hitting coach? I think it’s a legitimate argument!
The Mets Report 
Rotten eggs and HoJo remind too much of those awful Met teams of the early '90s. Please HoJo, please find a home with the team that originally drafted you!
It's a shame that an ex-player's peak performance doesn't translate into coaching ability. From 1987 through 1991, HoJo averaged 31 homers and 95 RBI's.
From the perspective of someone who watched almost every game HoJo played as a Met:
HoJo was a fastball hitter. Pure and simple. The faster you threw the ball, the farther he'd hit it. In 80's standards, he struck out a lot. He was a much better power hitter from the left side of the plate and was pretty weak from the right side, which was one reason why he platooned with Ray Knight in '86. He also had a lot of protection in the lineup early on in his career (Strawberry, Carter, Hernandez). Although his best season, 1991, he had no protection (unless you count Kevin McReynolds) in the lineup and still put up great numbers. He was pretty much done after the '91 season. HoJo would drive me insane at the plate, especially with any pitcher that threw an assortment of off speed pitches. Whiff!
I won't be sad if HoJo is fired. If that motivates the offense in some capacity, great. If the offense doesn't respond, at least he won't be there to remind me of Vince Coleman, Gregg Jeffries, and Bobby Bonilla.
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lol! I don't remember much of HoJo's career at the plate. I was young when he retired. Yet, this offense just doesn't seem to be responding to him anymore. I would change him before I'd change Manuel. Thanks for the comment and the read. Your comment sure made me laugh. lol!
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