Mets add beloved and overlooked 1996 Yankees World Series champion to coaching staff

In case you found yourself asking, "Where is Mariano Duncan now?!" in accordance with the 30th anniversary of the New York Yankees' 1996 World Series title that re-established them as a power and created a dynasty, the Mets helpfully answered that query on Monday afternoon.

Game 6 of that '96 Series was ... October 26, right on the dot. Joe Girardi's triple was the defining offensive performance. Charlie Hayes squeezing the final out (after being thwarted by the dugout steps) was the defining glovework. Wade Boggs galavanting on a horse was the defining on-field postgame image. And Duncan, the other Mariano, created the defining mantra: "We play today. We win today. That's it."

The Mets haven't been doing a whole lot of winning on any of their recent todays, but they have graduated a number of impressive rookies over the past year-plus on both sides of the ball. Juan Soto may have been a little dismissive of the Yankees' talent pipeline when he picked the Mets' farm over Ben Rice, Cam Schlittler, and George Lombard Jr., but he wasn't wrong. There are standouts in Queens, and AJ Ewing, Carson Benge, and Nolan McLean have all arrived.

Duncan worked with Ewing/Benge and more as the Binghamton Rumble Ponies' bench coach, and with Andy Green stepping out of the interim tag into his full-time job boots next year, he'll be relying on Duncan to provide a conduit between these kids and the manager's chair. Duncan will help position players in "multiple areas," per Joel Sherman, and maybe the biggest help of all will be his familiar face.

Yankees must follow Mets' lead and bring a renowned former player in as bench coach

Duncan, now 63 years old, hasn't coached in the big leagues since 2010, when his five-year stint with the Dodgers' staff ended. Since then, he's bounced through the minors, rising through the Mets' ranks since arriving in 2019 at the lower levels.

He wasn't our first choice for adding a veteran ex-Yankee to the bench for 2027 and beyond, but part of the Yankees' incoming coaching shakeup has to involve adding an authoritative and trusted voice alongside Aaron Boone. From an outsider's perspective, we don't know what Brad Ausmus offers on the day-to-day as a Boone lieutenant, but his seat feels like an obvious splash play for a potential overhaul. With Ausmus considered a possibility for the Astros' managerial vacancy, pairing a former champion alongside Boone remains quite tempting.

A revamp of the Yankees' hitting program, plus a dash of the Old Joe Torre Standard, feels essential for the Yankees to move forward. The Mets promoting Duncan might be another subtle kick in the ass that a similar shakeup could work in the comfy borough of the Bronx.

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