The evidence that Mets’ fallback Luis Rojas could pay off big-time

He was born into the life, thanks to his father, but he was also an unknown. So when the big New York job first opened, he was mentioned but never hired. The job went to a big, famous name and he went back into obscurity … but not for long. Because the big, famous name wasn’t equal to the gig. The big New York job opened again.

And so we were introduced to Jeff Van Gundy.

Oh, yes: and Luis Rojas.

That is the ceiling, anyway. That is the hope. Before Luis Rojas even has a chance to win the press conference as the new manager of the Mets, he is winning a Twitter campaign staged by the men he will be charged to lead right now, 38 years old, first time around as a big-league skipper.

This from Pete Alonso, perhaps his most important everyday asset: “Loved having Luis in ’17 and ’18 as my AA manager! It’s awesome playing under him and having him on staff last year as well!!! Super pumped to have him as the [manager]. Also he throws some damn good bp #LFGM”

This from Marcus Stroman, who could well be the singular difference between the Mets having a very good starting rotation and a dominant one: “LUIS ROJAS! Love love love it. Loved being around him on the bench last year. Always teaching and full of knowledge. Super laid back and brings nothing but great vibes each and every day. Beyond even keel. Excited even more for the year! @Mets”

So that’s two-25ths of the clubhouse Rojas will inherit once pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie in a couple of weeks, and that’s not a bad start for a guy’s first few hours on the job. And right now, that is really all we have to go on.

We can look at Rojas’ record as a minor league manager, sure. His 2014 Savannah Sand Gnats (featuring Jeff McNeil, Amed Rosario and Dom Smith) went 85-51 in the Single-A South Atlantic League. His 2015 St. Lucie Mets (McNeil, Rosario, Michael Conforto) went 69-69. Two years with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (McNeil again, and Alonso) he went 149-130.

We can listen to the voices who, long before this, extolled his work ethic, his baseball IQ, his bloodlines (his father is Felipe Alou, his brother is Moises Alou, his uncles are Matty and Jesus Alou). It feels like everything is in place for Rojas to be an excellent big-league manager. Of course: None of those superlatives have changed since October. Knowing all this, you could easily make a case for him being a superior candidate to Carlos Beltran.

So why wasn’t he good enough for the Mets in October?

The Van Gundy comparison is a useful source here. Back in the summer of 1996, after Van Gundy was given the Knicks job permanently, Dave Checketts, then the Knicks president, admitted, “When Pat Riley left here, I think we got caught up in the game of chasing a name rather than talent.” Checketts and Ernie Grunfeld briefly considered elevating Van Gundy — a personal favorite of Patrick Ewing and John Starks, for starters — when Riley defected to Miami in 1995 but quickly dismissed that.

They hired Don Nelson instead. And Nelson was a disaster. The players never took to him. The Knicks were a sluggish mess. Nelson was unhappy. Just past midseason, he was gone. And into the breach stepped Van Gundy — coach’s son, coach’s brother, bursting with limitless energy, young (33) and devoid of any expectation.

Within three years, he led the Knicks to the Finals. Soon thereafter — and to this day — he became something else: both a mythic franchise figure and a reminder that if you trust yourself, sometimes working outside the envelope can pay huge dividends. The Yankees thought so with Aaron Boone. The Giants hope so with Joe Judge.

Now, that is the Mets’ best hope with Luis Rojas, who has the game in his blood and has voices in his clubhouse lining up to stand with him now, same as Van Gundy did back in 1996. That’s an easier task in January than July, but it’s a place to start.

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