May 23, 2020: Joe McEwing was a do-everything utility man in his playing days with the Mets and Cardinals. These days, “Super Joe” is a proud member of the Irish American Baseball Society. He’s also the bench coach for the Chicago White Sox, where he uses his experience to mold one of the youngest and most promising teams in the big leagues. As a proud member of the Irish American Baseball Society, he was more than willing to talk with IABS members for a remote conversation hitting on multiple topics surrounding his career; the current state of the game; and
During his career, Joe specialized in being a contact hitter. That is a skillset that isn’t always valued in today’s game. McEwing isn’t convinced that a devil-may-care attitude towards strikeouts is necessarily the right approach when building a roster. “The average Major League team strikes out ten times a night…eleven times a night. So, you’re dealing with seventeen outs throughout a ballgame.” As you will hear in this clip, Joe believes this approach begins to hurt teams when they make it to the postseason, and offenses are only facing the opposing team’s best arms.
Joe McEwing Discusses Autographs with Shaun Clancy
Deep down, no matter how much success we have in the game, we are all still fans. Joe McEwing is no exception. Listen as he discusses some special autographs that are a part of his personal collection: one from a Phillies World Series Champion; the other from a person that means a lot to Joe.
Joe McEwing On Pinch Running
Joe holds a unique record with the Mets, and it was no accident that he was called upon in a lot of crucial situations. He made sure that he was always ready to contribute. In this clip, McEwing shares some of the in-game rituals that allowed his coaches to have faith in him, even if his name didn’t appear on the initial lineup card.
“That started at 12:30 in the afternoon, you know, with my pregame preparation. If I wasn’t in the lineup, I was preparing mentally and physically for whatever was possibly going to happen during that game.”
Joe McEwing Discusses Coaching and Yesterday’s Players vs. Today’s Players
Over the course of the entire discussion, our members ask some very detailed, and often very personal questions, as Joe opens up completely in this extensive and laid-back format. Topics include teammates who made a difference on-and-off the field; coming to terms with the fact that it was time to move on from his playing career; and how modern coaching staffs deal with analytics from the dugout in real time. His passion for coaching is obvious.
“It is more rewarding than anything I have done as a player.” He also talks about the special feeling he gets working with young players. “To tell an individual who you had since A ball, who you’re like family since you spent so much time with them, to tell them that they’re going to the Big Leagues for the first time.”
Members of the Irish American Baseball Society can watch the full 38 minute discussion with Joe McEwing by clicking here.