1. Early Life and Background
Wally Backman was born on September 22, 1959, in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. His professional baseball career began when he was selected by the New York Mets as their first-round pick, sixteenth overall, in the 1977 Major League Baseball draft. Upon signing, he was assigned to the New York-Penn League's Little Falls Mets, where he immediately made an impact by batting .325 with six home runs in his inaugural professional season. By 1980, after batting .293 for the Triple-A Tidewater Tides, Backman earned a September call-up to the Mets. He made his major league debut starting at second base against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on September 2, getting a single in his very first at-bat and driving in Claudell Washington for his first major league run batted in.
2. Playing Career
Wally Backman's playing career spanned from 1980 to 1993, primarily with the New York Mets, where he emerged as a regular starter and contributed significantly to their 1986 World Series championship. After his time with the Mets, he played for several other Major League Baseball teams before concluding his career.
2.1. New York Mets
After battling for three seasons to earn a starting job, Backman emerged as the Mets' starting second baseman in 1984. That year, he batted .280 and finished second on the team with 32 stolen bases, only trailing Mookie Wilson's 46. In 1985, he played a career-high 145 games, batting .273 with a .344 on-base percentage and 30 stolen bases.
Prior to the 1986 season, general manager Frank Cashen acquired Tim Teufel, a right-handed hitting infielder, from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Billy Beane, Joe Klink, and Bill Latham. Backman and Teufel subsequently formed a platoon at second base. This duo, along with teammates Mookie Wilson and Lenny Dykstra, provided a vital "spark" at the top of the Mets' lineup, effectively setting the stage for the powerful hitters batting behind them. For his individual contributions in 1986, Backman scored 67 runs, stole 13 bases, and achieved a career-first batting average over .300 (.320). This performance was instrumental for the Mets, who won 108 games and secured the National League East division title by 21.5 games. In the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, Backman batted an impressive .333. He notably led off for the Mets in the famed tenth inning of Game 6 with a fly out to Jim Rice. The Mets ultimately defeated the Red Sox in a seven-game series.
In 1987, Backman played in 90 games, batting .250 with 11 stolen bases. The Mets finished the season with a 92-70 record but did not qualify for the playoffs. By 1988, Backman and Teufel continued their platoon at second base as the Mets clinched their division for the second time during Backman's tenure. Backman batted .303 for the division champions, with the Mets winning 100 games that season and securing the NL East by 15 games over the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, the heavily favored Mets unexpectedly lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1988 National League Championship Series, despite Backman's respectable performance of a .273 batting average, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs in the series. Following the 1988 season, the Mets traded Backman and Mike Santiago to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Jeff Bumgarner, Steve Gasser, and Toby Nivens.
2.2. Other MLB Teams
Backman's tenure with the Minnesota Twins in 1989 saw him underperform, batting just .231 with one home run, 33 runs scored, and 26 RBIs. After only one season in Minnesota, Backman signed as a free agent with the Mets' division rivals, the Pittsburgh Pirates. With the skilled fielder José Lind already established at second base for the Pirates, Backman primarily received playing time backing up Jeff King at third base.
The 1990 season began with the Pirates facing the Mets at Shea Stadium. In front of his former home crowd, Backman went two for five, including a single and a triple, and scored two runs in the Pirates' 12-3 victory over the Mets. A notable achievement came on April 27 against the San Diego Padres, when Backman recorded a rare six hits in a nine-inning game. For the season, he batted .292 and scored 62 runs, contributing to a Pirates team that finished 95-67 and won their division by 4 games over the Mets.
Backman subsequently spent 1991 and 1992 playing for the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1993, he signed with the 1992 National League champion Atlanta Braves, but he did not make the team out of spring training. He then joined the Seattle Mariners, but was released only 38 games into the season due to a low .138 batting average and only two runs scored in 31 plate appearances. With no further offers from other teams, Backman retired from playing.
2.3. Career Summary
Over the course of his Major League Baseball career, which spanned 14 years from 1980 to 1993, Wally Backman played in 1102 games. He concluded his playing career with a batting average of .275, 10 home runs, and 117 stolen bases. Backman maintained a career fielding percentage of .980 while playing second base.
3. Coaching Career
Wally Backman's coaching career began after his retirement as a player, leading to various roles in minor league, independent, and international baseball. His journey included early successes in minor league baseball, a controversial and brief appointment as a Major League manager, and a subsequent return to the New York Mets organization in their minor league system, followed by further stints in independent leagues.
3.1. Early Managerial Roles
In 1998, Wally Backman managed the Bend Bandits during their final season in the Western Baseball League, where the team finished second in the North Division with a 43-46 record. In 2002, he led the Birmingham Barons, a double-A Southern League affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, to a 79-61 record. His success continued in 2004 when he managed the Lancaster JetHawks, the High-A team for the Arizona Diamondbacks, to an impressive 86-54 record, earning him the Sporting News "Minor League Manager of the Year" award.
Backman embarked on his managerial comeback with the South Georgia Peanuts of the independent South Coast League in 2006. His experience with the team was documented by the TV series Playing for Peanuts. That season, the Peanuts achieved a 59-28 record, winning their league and ultimately securing the league championship. In December 2007, Backman became the manager of the Joliet JackHammers. However, he was fired on July 30, 2009, with the team in sixth place in the Northern League holding a 24-42 record.
3.2. Arizona Diamondbacks Controversy
On November 1, 2004, Backman was promoted to become the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks' major league squad, a significant career advancement. However, his appointment quickly became controversial when The New York Times reported that Backman had a history of serious legal and financial issues that had not been fully disclosed or vetted by the Diamondbacks. These issues included an arrest in 1999 for DUI in Kennewick, Washington, which was documented on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. A year later, in 2000, he was arrested in connection with an altercation that occurred at his home in Prineville, Oregon. Additionally, Backman had declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
Initially, the Diamondbacks publicly stated their support for Backman. However, just four days after his hiring, on November 5, 2004, Backman was fired. Managing partner Ken Kendrick acknowledged that the Diamondbacks had not thoroughly vetted Backman before offering him the position and stated that Backman had misled team officials regarding his past.
3.3. Return to the Mets Organization
In October 2009, Backman was considered a strong candidate for the New York Mets' double-A managerial position with the Binghamton Mets. While the Mets initially promoted Tim Teufel to that role and assigned Backman to the St. Lucie Mets, they reversed their decision two weeks later, giving Backman the reins of the Brooklyn Cyclones instead. In 2010, Backman led the Cyclones to an impressive 51-24 record, the best in the league, winning the McNamara Division of the New York-Penn League by 12 games. Despite their regular season success, the Cyclones were ultimately swept by the Tri-City ValleyCats in the league championship series.
Backman was also a candidate to replace Jerry Manuel as the New York Mets' major league manager in 2011, though the position was ultimately given to Terry Collins. Subsequently, Backman was named manager of the Mets' double-A affiliate, the Binghamton Mets, where the club finished with a 65-76 record in his first season. Remaining highly regarded within the Mets organization, Backman was promoted in 2012 to manage their Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons.
In 2013, Backman took charge of the Mets' new Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas 51s. He guided the team to an 81-63 record and secured the Pacific Coast League's Pacific South Division title, though Las Vegas lost to Salt Lake in the conference championship series. Backman continued with the 51s for the 2014 season, again leading the team to the playoffs, and was named the PCL Manager of the Year on August 29, 2014. Backman officially resigned from the Las Vegas 51s on September 12, 2016. However, in later interviews, he asserted that he was forced out of the role. He claimed that after being rejected by many other clubs during the winter, he became convinced that Mets general manager Sandy Alderson had "blackballed" him, with a friend reportedly tipping him off about Alderson's actions against him. Alderson did not respond to this allegation, but a member of the Mets organization denied that Alderson had sabotaged Backman's job opportunities.
3.4. Independent and Later Coaching Roles
In 2017, Wally Backman signed on as manager of the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League. However, he was fired on May 19, 2017, just 42 games into the season. Shortly thereafter, Backman was hired as the bench coach for the Pericos de Puebla, also in the Mexican League.
On November 17, 2017, Backman was named manager of the New Britain Bees of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball for the 2018 season. He then moved on to become the new manager of the Atlantic League's Long Island Ducks for the 2019 season, an announcement made on November 28, 2018. Backman mutually agreed with the Ducks to part ways at the completion of the 2023 season, concluding his tenure with the team on October 2, 2023.
4. Playing and Coaching Style
Wally Backman has been consistently described as a "players' manager," known for his ability to connect with and motivate his teams. His approach to the game is often characterized as "old school," emphasizing fundamental baseball principles and aggressive play. A distinctive aspect of his managerial style includes his frequent use of practical jokes, particularly when delivering the news of a player's promotion to the major leagues, a method that adds a unique touch of humor to these significant moments in a player's career.
5. Statistics
The table below details Wally Backman's annual and career batting statistics from his time in Major League Baseball.
| Year | Team | Games | Plate Appearances | At-bats | Runs | Hits | Doubles | Triples | Home Runs | Total Bases | RBIs | Stolen Bases | Caught Stealing | Sacrifice Hits | Sacrifice Flies | Walks | Hit By Pitch | Strikeouts | Double Plays Grounded Into | Batting Average | On-base Percentage | Slugging Percentage | OPS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | NYM | 27 | 110 | 93 | 12 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 3 | .323 | .396 | .355 | .751 |
| 1981 | NYM | 26 | 42 | 36 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | .278 | .350 | .333 | .683 |
| 1982 | NYM | 96 | 312 | 261 | 37 | 71 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 97 | 22 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 6 | .272 | .387 | .372 | .759 |
| 1983 | NYM | 26 | 45 | 42 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | .167 | .205 | .214 | .419 |
| 1984 | NYM | 128 | 499 | 436 | 68 | 122 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 148 | 26 | 32 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 56 | 2 | 0 | 63 | 13 | .280 | .360 | .339 | .699 |
| 1985 | NYM | 145 | 574 | 520 | 77 | 142 | 24 | 5 | 1 | 179 | 38 | 30 | 12 | 14 | 3 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 72 | 3 | .273 | .320 | .344 | .664 |
| 1986 | NYM | 124 | 440 | 387 | 67 | 124 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 149 | 27 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 36 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 3 | .320 | .376 | .385 | .761 |
| 1987 | NYM | 94 | 335 | 300 | 43 | 75 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 86 | 23 | 11 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 5 | .250 | .307 | .287 | .594 |
| 1988 | NYM | 99 | 347 | 294 | 44 | 89 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 101 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 41 | 1 | 1 | 49 | 6 | .303 | .388 | .344 | .732 |
| 1989 | MIN | 87 | 337 | 299 | 33 | 69 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 85 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 4 | .231 | .306 | .284 | .590 |
| 1990 | PIT | 104 | 361 | 315 | 62 | 92 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 125 | 28 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 42 | 1 | 1 | 53 | 5 | .292 | .374 | .397 | .771 |
| 1991 | PHI | 94 | 220 | 185 | 20 | 45 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 2 | .243 | .344 | .308 | .652 |
| 1992 | PHI | 42 | 55 | 48 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | .271 | .352 | .292 | .644 |
| 1993 | SEA | 10 | 31 | 29 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .138 | .167 | .138 | .305 |
| MLB: 14 years | Total | 1102 | 3708 | 3245 | 482 | 893 | 138 | 19 | 10 | 1099 | 240 | 117 | 52 | 68 | 19 | 371 | 9 | 5 | 480 | 55 | .275 | .349 | .339 | .688 |
6. Legacy and Recognition
Wally Backman's career has been noted for both his spirited playing style and his distinctive managerial approach. His contributions to the New York Mets' 1986 World Series championship team solidified his place in the franchise's history. Beyond his playing achievements, Backman has received formal recognition; he was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, an honor that underscores his significant impact on baseball from his home state. Throughout his coaching career, his reputation as a "players' manager" and his "old school" style have been consistent themes, reflecting a leadership approach that many players have found engaging and effective.