MLB

Ex-Met Brad Brach is a fan of Buck Showalter’s managerial methods

During Brad Brach’s 4 ½ seasons pitching for the Orioles, there were times when he felt Baltimore’s manager might have been too abrasive. It wasn’t until later he came to appreciate Buck Showalter’s methods.

“[Showalter] knows how to test guys and I think he finds out what kind of player you are and what he can get out of you by doing certain tests that at the moment you might think is him being a jerk,” Brach, a free-agent reliever who spent parts of two seasons with the Mets, told The Post on Friday.

“In reality it’s just him trying to find out what kind of player he has. It can rub you the wrong way at that time, but I think if you looked back you would say that it was more so for the betterment of the team and yourself than anything else.”

Showalter is among the six known candidates for the Mets’ managerial opening. First-round interviews are complete, and team owner Steve Cohen plans to meet with two or three finalists in the coming days. Joining Showalter among the known candidates to have received interviews are Dodgers bench coach Bob Geren, former Tigers and Angels manager Brad Ausmus, Astros bench coach Joe Espada, Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro and Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough.

Orioles Buck Showalter
Buck Showalter reportedly impressed the Mets during his first interview. Paul J. Bereswill

The 65-year-old Showalter is considered the front-runner at this point, after a Zoom interview that “impressed” general manager Billy Eppler and his staff earlier in the week, according to a source.

Brach pitched for the Orioles from 2014-18, during which Baltimore reached the postseason twice under Showalter. The team also went to the playoffs in 2012 with Showalter at the helm. Showalter has also guided the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Rangers during a 20-year managerial career.

“He’s been the best manager I ever played for — he’s so detail oriented,” said Brach, who also has played for Bud Black, Brian Snitker and Joe Maddon, among others, during an 11-year major league career. “There is never a game situation that arises in my eyes that kind of takes him by surprise or that he’s not ready for.”

Showalter is considered somewhat old-school in his methods, but Brach said any clashes with the front office the manager had in Baltimore over the use of analytics might have been more a question of methodology than an unwillingness to adapt.

“I think he was more than willing to listen to all that stuff, he just wanted to know where it was coming from,” Brach said. “I don’t know if it was the front office was having a problem with him asking questions about where it was coming from or what the deal might be, but he got this reputation as this hard-nosed guy who didn’t want to listen to anything, where I think honestly it was the complete opposite: He had questions that they didn’t want to answer or they weren’t sure where it was coming from or they just didn’t want questions to be asked, so he just kind of rubbed them the wrong way.”

Showalter departed the Orioles after a dreadful 47-win season in 2018. Brach, who was traded to the Braves midway through that season, said he’s uncertain how the year spiraled out of control, but believes players, by early May, saw the “writing on the wall” that major changes were coming and had a difficult time staying focused. Even so, Brach said he is “shocked” that Showalter hasn’t landed another job.

New York Mets relief pitcher Brad Brach #29 pitches
Brad Brach played under Buck Showalter for 4 1/2 seasons with the Orioles. Robert Sabo

“If I was a GM he would be at the top of my list,” Brach said. “I can kind of talk from only the bullpen perspective, but he was by far the best manager when it came to running a bullpen. He kept everybody healthy. If you look at the guys in that Baltimore bullpen it had nothing to do with our arms when guys got hurt … guys were extremely healthy when they pitched for him.”