PORT ST. LUCIE — Wally Backman thought he might be gearing up to return to the majors with the Mets this spring training.
Instead, he’ll arrive at the team’s spring training complex today as manager of Double-A Binghamton, and though he says there is still a letdown from not being hired by new general manager Sandy Alderson, he’s ready to move on.
“It’s time to get rolling,” Backman said. “There’s always a bit of disappointment and it’s frustrating, but it’s not a long period. Now I’m here to focus on Binghamton and try to get those guys ready for the big leagues. This is their chance to prove they’re ready to make the next step, and I want to help them do that.”
As for the way he’ll approach his new job, one year removed from managing Single-A Brooklyn to a first-place finish, Backman feels it’s the same as if he got the job he wanted.
“It’s absolutely not different,” Backman said. “I treat all my players with respect, no matter what level. I think that’s why guys like playing for me. At this level, this is where they can prove what they can do.”
And he still plans on taking that approach back to the majors.
“I’m still absolutely confident and certain I’m going to get a job in the majors,” Backman said. “My attitude is not going to change. I’m not arrogant. I’m just good at what I do.”
For now, he’ll just focus on the task at hand.
“It’s still baseball,” Backman said. “This is what I do. After everything else that happened, I just want to get back into it.”
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Shortstop Jose Reyes is expected to arrive in camp as early as today, which is good news for Daniel Murphy.
“I’m looking forward to working with him,” said Murphy, who has yet to play with Reyes since moving to second base.
“We need to learn each other’s nuances,” Murphy said. “I picked up some things when I played first last year when he was at short before he had his thyroid issue. The field looks too small for him.”
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Manager Terry Collins compared outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis to Kirk Gibson last week, which was something the 23-year-old hadn’t heard before.
“I know he played the game hard,” Nieuwenhuis said. “I just go out there and let my passion show.”
That has often resulted in him running into walls, but he hasn’t been seriously injured — like Jason Bay was last season.
“You can’t worry about stuff like that,” said Nieuwenhuis, who ended last season with Triple-A Buffalo. “I think more about catches like Aaron Rowand‘s [against the Mets in 2006, when he broke his nose crashing into the fence in Philadelphia on a ball hit by Xavier Nady]. That really fired me up.”