By NYFS Staff
November 17, 2009 - With an ultimate goal of developing players to contribute to winning a World Series, the New York Mets handed the managerial reins of their Double-A team over to Tim Teufel, a member of the big league’s club last world title team, it was announced today. Teufel, 51, replaces Mako Oliveras, whose contract was not renewed, as the 12th skipper in Binghamton Mets history.

Teufel moves up to Binghamton after guiding the St. Lucie Mets, New York’s High-A squad in the Florida State League, in four of his last five years as a minor league manager. The Greenwich, Connecticut native led St. Lucie to a 66-68 record in 2009 and has compiled a six-year managerial record of 337-404. His coaching career with the Mets began in 2001 as a roving minor league infield instructor before piloting Mets affiliates in Brooklyn (2003), St. Lucie (2004-5, 2008-9) & Savannah (2007).

Teufel enjoyed an 11-year Major League career with three different teams, including six years with the Mets. As a second baseman with the 1986 World Champion Mets, Teufel batted .247 in the regular season, but hit .444 (4-9) with a home run in the World Series triumph over the Boston Red Sox. He batted .254 for his career with 86 homers and compiled a .979 fielding percentage as a utility infielder in 1,073 games played.

After a stellar college career with Clemson University, Teufel was drafted in the second round by the Minnesota Twins in the 1980 amateur draft. Upon being drafted, the highly-touted infielder started his professional career with Orlando, the Twins AA-affiliate of the Southern League. He cracked the big leagues for the first time in 1983, when he appeared in 21 games for Minnesota as a September call-up. He was named the MVP of the International League in that same season after batting .323 with 27 homers and 100 RBIs for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. Teufel played in all but five games for the Twins in 1984 and finished fourth in the American League Rookie of the Year balloting thanks to a career-high 14 homers and 61 RBIs.

He was traded to the Mets in January 1986 in a deal that sent former No. 1 pick and future Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane along with two other players to the Twins for Teufel and minor leaguer Pat Crosby. After six seasons with the Mets, including two trips to the postseason, New York traded him to the San Diego Padres for Garry Templeton May 31, 1991.

Teufel retired following his 1993 season with the Padres and took a four-year hiatus from the game before returning as a scout with the Mets in 1998. He worked as a roving infield instructor in 2001 and 2002 before beginning his managerial career as skipper of the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2003. In 2004 and 2005, Teufel managed St. Lucie before being replaced by Gary Carter in that position in 2006. After a year away from baseball, he returned to managing with Savannah (Low-A) in 2007, from where he was promoted to his previous post as manager of St. Lucie.

“We’re thrilled to have a manager of Tim Teufel’s caliber lead our ballclub. He’s familiar with the Northeast and even more importantly, many of the players that we expect to have in Binghamton during the course of the 2010 season,” remarked B-Mets General Manager Scott Brown.