Buck Showalter is returning to MLB Network.
The former Mets manager will return to the television network he called home during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Showalter will begin working as a studio analyst next month, marking his last stint at MLB Network before becoming the Mets’ manager for the 2022 season.
“We were thrilled to bring Buck on board several years ago given his on-field expertise and years of baseball knowledge,” Mark Caiafa, MLB Network’s senior vice president of production, said in a statement. Ta. “By playing against new faces and stars of our game and managing under new on-field rules, the Bucks will only make our content stronger this season.”
Mr. Showalter also served two stints as an analyst on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” and also worked for the YES Network.
“I enjoyed my time at MLB Network with people I know and respect, so when this opportunity came along I couldn’t turn it down,” Showalter said in a press release. “There are many different ways to analyze baseball, and I appreciate the different perspectives that come from working in a network. We all bring what we bring to the table and it’s a lot of fun. This place is a great place to teach the game. I’m excited to return to the team, as it’s full of smart, passionate people who want to grow.”
Showalter spent two seasons as the Amazons’ manager, leading the club to a 101-61 record in his first year with Queens, winning Manager of the Year honors and a quick postseason berth.
The Mets’ 2023 season did not go as everyone expected, with the team going 75-87 and Showalter announcing before the team’s final game of the year that he would not be repurchased next season.
Showalter was one of the top candidates for the Angels manager’s job, but lost out to Ron Washington.
