The Mets’ latest coaching addition may not come with a neatly defined title, but Mariano Duncan brings something that can matter just as much: familiarity.
New York hired Duncan on Monday for Andy Green’s staff, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, and Sherman reported that he’s expected to work with players in several different areas. Duncan, 63, spent 12 seasons in the majors, winning a World Series with both the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds. Since his playing career ended, he has coached across several organizations at both the major and minor league levels.
Most recently, Duncan served the last five seasons as bench coach for the Mets’ Double-A affiliate in Binghamton, where he worked around a group of prospects who have since moved up to New York. That history is why this hire could matter more than it first appears. Even without a role tied strictly to hitting or pitching, Duncan steps into the kind of spot where a coach can still shape careers.
Francisco Alvarez is one of the clearest examples.
It can be easy to lose sight of the fact that Alvarez is only 24, especially after he’s already logged parts of five major league seasons. The expectations around him have been heavy from the start, and he still hasn’t fully matched the hype that followed him as a top prospect. But age keeps the door open.
Duncan already knows what Alvarez looked like at his best. He worked with him at High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton in 2021 and 2022, when Alvarez was tearing through the minors. Across 151 games at those two stops, Alvarez hit 40 home runs.
The challenge has been getting that version of him to show up consistently in the majors. His approach has shifted around more than once.
At first, he was overly aggressive, trying to yank everything and swing for the fences. Then he moved toward using the opposite field, but that adjustment started to take over.
Last season, he seemed stuck between those two styles, never quite settling into one clear identity at the plate.
That’s where a familiar voice could help. Alvarez is still young enough to absorb a different perspective, and Duncan has already seen him when the bat was doing the talking.
Brett Baty is in a similar spot, just from a different angle.
Back in 2022 at Binghamton, Baty put together a big year, batting .312 with 19 home runs and a .950 OPS in 89 games. He looked like the player who had once been one of baseball’s top prospects, spraying the ball to all fields with authority and doing damage no matter how pitchers attacked him.
That production hasn’t fully carried over to the big leagues, but there have been flashes. Over his last 40 regular-season games, Baty hit .303 with five home runs and a .926 OPS.
The big question is whether he can do it for an entire season. David Stearns has made it clear the Mets won’t make a long-term commitment until Baty shows he can sustain that kind of output.
Now entering his age-27 season, he’s at a real crossroads. New York wants the complete package: the defensive versatility and the bat that matches it.
Duncan has already seen that version of Baty before. That alone makes him a useful voice as Baty tries to turn a hot stretch into something much bigger.
Jefferson Rojas may benefit too, and for a different reason entirely.
The 21-year-old is likely to make his major league debut next season after appearing in just 29 games with Double-A Binghamton following the Mets’ acquisition of him. Even in that short stay, he made a strong impression, hitting .280 with eight doubles and nine home runs in 118 at-bats.
For a player that young, the jump to the majors can hit hard. Alvarez and Baty have both lived that transition already, and the value of having someone nearby who understands the process is obvious. Rojas and Duncan also share another connection: both are from the Dominican Republic.
That familiarity could matter as Rojas enters a new setting. Duncan also played infield during his major league career, mostly at second base, which is a position where Rojas is expected to get opportunities next season. Between the shared background and the positional experience, Duncan looks like a natural mentor for a player about to take his first big-league step.
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