Predicting who’ll coach different vacancies for the New York Mets isn’t easy. We might get one fan favorite ex-player. Mark Edgardo Alfonzo down for third base coach. We’re probably going to get some guy we’ve never heard of as the hitting coach. Remember Hugh Quattlebaum? It sounds like the real name of someone like James Bond who was asked to come up with a pseudonym to sound less like a J.K. Rowling character.

For the sake of some continuity, which yes the Mets do need, there’s only one real choice for the pitching coach.

Desi Druschel should be the frontrunner for the Mets pitching coach

Druschel was stolen from the New York Yankees last December and named the assistant pitching coach to Jeremy Hefner. Just because Hefner lost his job and the pitching staff underperformed this year doesn’t mean it was his fault or Druschel had much to do with the late-season collapse. It was just time for a fresh voice leading the way.

Carlos Mendoza’s familiarity with Druschel from their days together with the Yankees already puts him in good favor. Plus, with Mendoza going on the hot seat to begin this coming year, there needs to be some other coaching casualty options to fire. The Mets aren’t going to go into this coming year with nothing but freshly hired coaches who could be out the door as well if the Mets fail to make the playoffs.

Druschel is different from the other coaches from the 2025 staff because of his Mendoza connection. Many of the others were holdovers from the previous regime. It’ll be tough for the Mets to fully embrace an entirely new coaching staff both from a worst-case scenario (like having to fire a bunch of people all over again) as well as looking at things more sensibly and less doom and gloom. Druschel already has his foot in the door and understands what the Mets are trying to accomplish with their pitching lab. Stability is needed. It’s his voice that should be speaking the loudest.

As for the rest of the coaching staff, it might be challenging to find people who know their jobs may be quickly in jeopardy. Elevating J.P. Arencibia to bench coach works because he already knows the organization and they know him. He’s not a huge threat to Mendoza like placing Carlos Beltran in that role would be.

Let’s see what Druschel can accomplish as the pitching coach. There’s a reason the Mets kept him around. Staying on and just being the assistant to a new hire seems goofy when he’ll need to catch anyone else up to speed rather than just take the wheel.