When the Wilpons hired former sports agent Brodie Van Wagenen to take over as the Mets’ general manager in October 2018, it was widely viewed as an odd hire, but not one without potential. The spunky Van Wagenen brought a certain energy and a stern confidence to the role that the Mets had lacked for quite a while.
It wasn’t crazy to be optimistic about what Van Wagenen could do. He said all the right things early on and made it known that he was going to be bold and brazen. He won many people over in his first press conference with his elegant, natural tone and debonair charm.