The New York Mets announced major changes in their coaching staff for 2012 Wednesday afternoon and it means the Buffalo Bisons are going to have a new field staff for their 25th anniversary season in Coca-Cola Field.
Bisons manager Tim Teufel has been promoted to third-base coach in New York and pitching coach Ricky Bones, who has directed the Buffalo mound staff for all three years the Mets have been here, will be heading to Citi Field as the bullpen coach.
4:15 p.m. update: Just got off a Mets conference call where GM Sandy Alderson said Double-A Binghamton manager and Teufel's 1986 Mets platoon partner Wally Backman is "a very strong candidate" to be named Bisons manager.
The Mets announced that bench coach Ken Oberkfell -- who managed the Bisons in 2009 and 2010 -- first-base coach and longtime former Met Mookie Wilson, third-base coach Chip Hale and bullpen coach Jon Debus will not return to Terry Collins' staff next season.
Hale has signed a two-year contract to be the third-base coach in Oakland. Wilson and Debus will be offered other positions in the organization. Oberkfell's status remains uncertain. Hitting coach Dave Hudgens and pitching coach Dan Warthen will retain their roles in New York.
So what does this mean for the Bisons? Maybe Oberkfell returns as manager. Or maybe, the Mets now have it set up to promote Wally Backman, Teufel's 1986 platoon mate, as the manager in Buffalo after he spent last year at Double-A Binghamton.
Stay tuned. The Mets are having a conference call at 4 and I'll be listening in.
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
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