Mets fans downhearted as team expected to name Antoan Richardson as first-base coach: "Needed Wayne Kerby"

According to recent reports, the New York Mets are set to name former San Francisco Giants first-base coach Antoan Richardson in the same capacity for the next MLB season. After being replaced with Mark Hallberg by the Giants, Richardson is set to join rookie manager Carlos Mendoza's staff in New York. This means that Wayne Kirby's time with the Mets is over after only two seasons, and fans were unhappy to see him go.

Richardson is a former MLB player who started his career with the San Francisco Giants after being selected in the 2005 MLB draft. He went on to play for the Atlanta Braves as well as the New York Yankees before returning to the Giants to start his coaching career. He was named the first-base coach in December 2019 and served in that capacity until now.

The Mets have a new-look staff in their offices with the hopes of finally seeing some return on their huge investment. They decided to go with rookie manager Carlos Mendoza and have now added a new first-base coach to the clubhouse. Nonetheless, former coach Wayne Kirby was well-loved by fans in New York, who were sad to see him go and made their feelings clear on X, formerly Twitter:

"Needed Wayne Kerby," wrote one fan on Twitter. "I’m gonna miss him," added another.

John Gibbons and Antoan Richardson added to New York Mets staff amidst overhaul

After a disappointing season in the MLB, the New York Mets have been eager to make several changes to their coaching staff before finalizing their roster for the next season. They have appointed Carlos Mendoza as manager, which is a brave move, and have now steadily added to his staff. John Gibbons has been hired as the bench coach while Antoan Richardson takes to role of first-base coach.

While fans are sad to see the last of Wayne Kirby, will they be proven wrong by the young, new team who certainly have the means to put together a squad to challenge for the World Series?