Walter Wayne Backman (born September 22, 1959) is an American former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

. He is best known for his time with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

from – and was a member of their

1986 World Series The 1986 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1986 Major League Baseball season, 1986 season. The 83rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National Lea ...

-winning team. He was also the former manager for the Las Vegas 51s, the Mets' Triple-A team, from 2013 to 2016. He served as the bench coach for the Pericos de Puebla of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

in 2017. Backman was the manager of the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "par ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

, until October 2, 2023, when it was announced that the Ducks and Backman had parted ways.

Playing career

New York Mets

Early years (1980–1985)

Backman was the Mets' first round pick in the

1977 Major League Baseball draft The 1977 Major League Baseball draft took place prior to the 1977 MLB season. The draft saw the Chicago White Sox select Harold Baines first overall. First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1977 Major League Baseb ...

(sixteenth overall). He was assigned to the New York–Penn League's

Little Falls Mets The Little Falls Mets were a minor league baseball team located in Little Falls (city), New York, Little Falls, New York. The team played in the New York–Penn League, and were affiliated with the New York Mets. Their home stadium was Little Fa ...

upon signing, and batted .325 with six

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s in his first professional season. After batting .293 for the Triple-A

Tidewater Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesape ...

in , Backman received a September call up to the Mets. Making his major league debut starting at second base against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a ballpark in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a ...

on September 2, Backman got a single in his first at-bat, driving in

Claudell Washington Claudell Washington (August 31, 1954June 10, 2020) was an American baseball outfielder who played seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, Atlanta Br ...

for his first major league

run batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

. After battling for three seasons to earn a starting job, Backman emerged as the Mets' starting second baseman in . He batted .280, and finished second on the club to Mookie Wilson (46) with 32

stolen bases In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out a ...

1986

Prior to the start of the season, general manager

Frank Cashen John Francis "Frank" Cashen (September 13, 1925 – June 30, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball general manager (baseball), general manager. He was an executive when the Baltimore Orioles won the 1966 World Series and 1970 World Series, w ...

brought in Tim Teufel, a right-handed hitting infielder from the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

for

Billy Beane William Lamar Beane III (born March 29, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player and current Front office (sports), front office executive. He is currently senior advisor to owner John Fisher (baseball owner), John Fisher and ...

, Joe Klink and Bill Latham. He and Backman formed a platoon at second base, and along with Wilson and

Lenny Dykstra Leonard Kyle Dykstra ( ; born February 10, 1963), nicknamed Nails and Dude, is an American former professional baseball center fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets (1985–1989) and Philadelphia Phillies (1989� ...

, provided a "spark" at the top of the Mets' line up, and set the table for the heavy hitters who batted behind them. For his own part, Backman scored 67 runs, stole 13 bases and batted over .300 (.320) for the first time in his career for the team that won 108 games and took the

National League East The National League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. Along with the American League Central, it is one of two divisions to have every member win at least one World Series title. After having internal, informal divisions for ...

by 21.5 games. He batted .333 in the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

and led off for the Mets in the famous tenth inning of Game 6 with a fly out to

Jim Rice James Edward Rice (born March 8, 1953) is an American former professional baseball left fielder and designated hitter who played in Major League Baseball (MLB). Rice played his entire 16-year MLB career for the Boston Red Sox. In 2009, Rice was ...

. The Mets defeated the Red Sox four games to three in the World Series.

1987

For the 1987 season, Backman batted .250 with 11 stolen bases in 90 games. The Mets finished the season with a 92-70 record, but failed to make the playoffs.

1988

Backman and Teufel were still platooning at second base in when the Mets won their division for the second time during Backman's tenure with the team. Backman batted .303 for the division winners, and the Mets won 100 games that season, taking the NL East by fifteen games over the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

. However, the heavily favored Mets lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1988 National League Championship Series. Backman played respectably in the division series (.273 avg., 2 runs, 2 RBIs). Following the season, the Mets sent him and Mike Santiago to the Minnesota Twins for Jeff Bumgarner, Steve Gasser and Toby Nivens.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Backman under-performed with the Twins, batting only .231 with one home run and 33 runs scored while driving in only 26 in . After only one season in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, Backman signed as a free agent with the Mets' division rivals, the Pittsburgh Pirates. With slick fielder José Lind already at second base for the Pirates, Backman received most of his playing time backing up Jeff King at

third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...

. The Pirates opened the season against the Mets at

Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium ( ), typically shortened to Shea Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City.triple and scored two runs in the Pirates' 12–3 victory over the Mets. Against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

on April 27, Backman accomplished the rare feat of six hits in a nine inning game. For the season, Backman batted .292 and scored 62 runs for a Pirates team that went 95–67, and took the division by four games over the Mets.

Later career

Backman spent and with the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. He signed with the 1992 National League champion

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

, for , but failed to make the team out of

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. He joined the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

, but was released 38 games into the season with a .138 batting average with only two runs scored in 31 plate appearances.

Career summary

Over the course of a major league career that spanned from 1980 to 1993, Backman batted .275 in 1102 games with 10 home runs and 275 stolen bases. Backman had a career .980

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a baseball positions, defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putout ...

at second base.

Coaching career

After retiring as a player, Backman was inducted into the

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall. Operated by the Oregon Sports ...

in 2002. In 1998, Backman managed the Bend Bandits of Bend, Oregon during their final season of operations in the

Western Baseball League The Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in the Western United States and Western Canada. Its member teams were not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. It operated from 1995 to 2002. The league was fou ...

. They finished second in the North Division at 43–46. Backman led the 2002

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The Baron ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

double-A Southern League affiliate) to a 79–61 record. In 2004, he led the

Lancaster JetHawks The Lancaster JetHawks were a baseball team located in Lancaster, California. They were named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and played their home games at The Hangar. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League B ...

, the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

' High-A team, to an 86–54 record and was named ''

Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

'' "Minor League Manager of the Year". On November 1, 2004, Backman was promoted to manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks' major league squad. However, in its story about Backman's hire, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reported that Backman had serious legal and financial problems. He had been arrested in 1999 for DUI in

Kennewick, Washington Kennewick () is a city in Benton County, Washington, Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is located along the southwest bank of the Columbia River, just southeast of the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima ...

as documented on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

'' Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel''. A year later, he was arrested in connection with an altercation in his home in

Prineville, Oregon Prineville is a city in and the county seat, seat of Crook County, Oregon, United States. It was named for the first merchant to establish businesses in the present location, Barney Prine. The population was 10,429 at the United States Census 2010 ...

. In addition, Backman had declared

Chapter 7 bankruptcy Chapter 7 of Title 11 U.S. Code is the bankruptcy code that governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. This is in contrast to bankruptcy under Chapter 11 and Chapter 13, which govern the process of ''re ...

. The Diamondbacks initially stood by him, but fired him on November 5, just four days after his hiring. Managing partner Ken Kendrick admitted that the Diamondbacks had not fully vetted Backman before hiring him. He added that Backman had misled team officials about his past. Backman began his managerial comeback with the South Georgia Peanuts of the independent South Coast League. His return to managing was documented by the TV series '' Playing for Peanuts''. The Peanuts won their league with a 59–28 record and went on to win the league championship that season. In December 2007, Backman became manager of the Joliet JackHammers. With the team in sixth place in the Northern League with a 24–42 record, he was fired on July 30, 2009. In October 2009, Backman's name circulated as a likely candidate for the Mets' double A managerial job with the

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mi ...

; however, the Mets decided instead to promote Tim Teufel from the St. Lucie Mets, and Backman was given the St. Lucie job. Two weeks later, the Mets changed their minds, and Backman was handed the reins to the

Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island ...

instead. Backman went on to lead the Cyclones to a league-best 51–24 record, winning the McNamara Division of the New York–Penn League by 12 games. The Cyclones were ultimately swept by the

Tri-City ValleyCats The Tri-City ValleyCats are a professional baseball team based in Albany, New York. The ValleyCats compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the North Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was established in 2002, along with the ...

in the league championship series. Backman was a candidate to replace

Jerry Manuel Jerry Lorenzo Manuel Sr. (born December 23, 1953), nicknamed "the Sage", is an American former professional baseball second baseman and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Montreal Expos, and San Diego Padres ...

as the New York Mets' major league manager in 2011. However, the position went to Terry Collins. Backman was subsequently named manager of the Mets' double-A affiliate, the

. In Backman's first season in Binghamton, the club had a 65–76 record. Backman remained highly regarded in the Mets organization and was promoted to manage their Triple-A affiliate, the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

for the 2012 season. In 2013, Backman managed the Mets' new Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas 51s, leading the team to an 81–63 record and winning the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

's Pacific South Division title. Las Vegas lost to Salt Lake in the conference championship series. Backman returned to the 51s for the 2014 season, and the team once again advanced to the playoffs. On August 29, 2014, Backman was named the PCL Manager of the Year. Backman resigned from the Las Vegas 51s on September 12, 2016. However, in later interviews, Backman claimed that he was forced out as manager. After spending the winter getting turned down by many other clubs, Backman became convinced that Mets GM

Sandy Alderson Richard Lynn "Sandy" Alderson (born November 22, 1947) is an American baseball executive. He was the president of various Major League Baseball teams, including the New York Mets. He previously served as the general manager of the New York Mets f ...

had "blackballed" him, and said a friend had tipped him off that Alderson was working against him. Alderson declined to respond to Backman's allegation; however, a member of the Mets organization denied that Alderson had sabotaged Backman's job opportunities. In 2017, Backman signed on as manager of the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports l ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. On May 19, 2017, 42 games into the season, Backman was fired. Shortly thereafter, Backman was hired as the bench coach for the Pericos de Puebla. Backman was named manager of the

New Britain Bees The New Britain Bees are an American collegiate summer baseball team based in New Britain, Connecticut. They are a member of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL), a wood-bat league with teams in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connectic ...

of the

for the 2018 season on November 17, 2017. On November 28, 2018, Backman was announced as the new manager of the Atlantic League's

for the 2019 season. He mutually agreed with the Ducks to part ways at the completion of the 2023 season. Backman has been described as a players' manager. He is noted for his "old school" style, as well as for his frequent use of practical jokes when delivering news of a promotion to the major leagues.

References

External links

* *
Wally Backman
at Baseball Almanac {{DEFAULTSORT:Backman, Wally 1959 births Living people Acereros de Monclova managers American expatriate baseball people in Mexico Arizona Diamondbacks managers Baseball coaches from Oregon Binghamton Mets managers Birmingham Barons managers Brooklyn Cyclones managers Buffalo Bisons (minor league) managers Jackson Mets players Las Vegas 51s managers Little Falls Mets players Long Island Ducks coaches Lynchburg Mets players Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Minnesota Twins players New York Mets players Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010) managers People from Prineville, Oregon Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsburgh Pirates players Seattle Mariners players Sportspeople from Hillsboro, Oregon Baseball players from Washington County, Oregon Tidewater Tides players New Britain Bees 20th-century American sportsmen Aloha High School alumni

Playing career

New York Mets

Early years (1980–1985)

1986

1987

1988

Pittsburgh Pirates

Later career

Career summary

Coaching career

See also

References

External links