Terry Collins might be stepping away from the game after next season.
The 67-year-old New York Mets manager spoke with Adam Rubin of ESPN.com and said after a physically trying season plagued by health problems, he needs to reevaluate his job going forward.
“I just need to reevaluate at the end of this coming year what’s going on, where I am, how I’m feeling,” Collins said. “I’ve always said a lot of it will be dictated by how I’m feeling. This was a tough year.”
Collins was hospitalized in June after becoming ill and missed a game against the Brewers. He admitted to Rubin he was getting worn down by the grueling MLB schedule.
“There are so many night games where you’re traveling after the game and getting into towns at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning. And the next thing you know, if you ever have a day game pop up on you, it’s tough to do.”
At 67, Collins is the oldest manager in the league. He’s at the point in his life where any health scare is a huge deal. While I’m sure Collins doesn’t want to walk away from the game, it might be best for his long-term health to retire. It wouldn’t seem fair to have managed the Mets back to respectability, only to have to retire when they’ve become fully realized – but the team’s future success shouldn’t be put above his personal health. Collins has managed the Mets to back-to-back impressive seasons, including an NL Pennant win 2015. He’s had a significant impact in making the Mets the best team in New York.
If Collins can’t take the physical grind of a full season beyond next year, there’s no shame retiring. He might be the losingest manager in Mets history, but he’s also one of the longest tenured. Collins may choose to go out on top.
[ESPN]
