Mets Beat Washington Nationals on Opening Day

The Mets’ general manager, Billy Eppler, never built a playoff team in five seasons with the Los Angeles Angels but he has proved capable of attracting some of the best players in baseball. (He lured the two-way star Shohei Ohtani, the 2021 American League Most Valuable Player, to Anaheim, Calif., from Japan.) And Showalter, who has a .506 career winning percentage with four different teams over his previous 20 years, is the most experienced skipper they have employed in some time.

“He’s really, really organized,” said Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who did not start Thursday’s season opener because of a stiff neck. “He’s precise. He’s going to be prepared. I don’t think we’re going to lose a game because Buck wasn’t prepared.”

Nimmo is cheerful by nature, but heading into this season, he noted that the squad assembled by Cohen and Eppler had him “really optimistic.” Referring to the new players, Nimmo said, “these guys have a long track record of succeeding in the big leagues.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/07/sports/baseball/mets-nationals-opening-day.html