The Mets’ new GM advanced in baseball by grinding on the scouting trail, absorbing wisdom from respected personnel men and developing a grasp of the analytics side of the game — now, to rescue the Amazin’s, he’ll need to learn from his biggest errors.
The 20-plus-year MLB journey that Billy Eppler took to becoming the Mets general manager was rooted in scouting and reinforced by a command of analytics.
It was shaped by respected baseball minds, from general managers such as Brian Cashman and the late Gene “Stick” Michael to a longtime scout named Bill Livesey.
And it started with a $5,000-per-year part-time job before most recently winding its way to Los Angeles, where a five-year run as the Angels general manager left the franchise without a postseason appearance and Eppler without a job. That is, until Steve Cohen hired him to end the Mets’ long search for a head of baseball operations.
It won’t get any easier with the Mets, where numerous challenges await Eppler after he was officially named the franchise’s fifth GM (including acting and interim GMs) in just over a year last Thursday. But the Mets and those who have worked with Eppler, 46, believe the road that brought him to Flushing has prepared him for the task at hand.