NEW YORK -- The Mets did not have to look far to find their next Class A Short-Season Brooklyn manager. The team announced Monday that it has hired longtime St. John’s University head coach Ed Blankmeyer, who joins the professional ranks after 24 seasons coaching the Red Storm.

Blankmeyer, 65, coached more than 100 Major League players between his stops at St. John’s and at his alma mater, Seton Hall, where he helped recruit Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, Mo Vaughn and others. In 24 seasons at St. John’s, Blankmeyer went 829-500-4, winning six Big East regular-season titles and five conference tournament championships, while earning 11 NCAA Tournament berths.

“Ed is a bit of a known commodity in this area,” Mets executive director of player development Jared Banner said. “He’s a well-respected coach and leader at the college level. A lot of accolades. A lot of great experience. He’s developed a lot of young players.”

At Brooklyn, Blankmeyer replaces Edgardo Alfonzo, whom the Mets did not retain following the Cyclones' New York-Penn League championship in 2019. General manager Brodie Van Wagenen called that “a player development decision,” but did not elaborate further.

Blankmeyer joins a slew of new managers in the Mets' farm system. Former Mets catcher Brian Schneider is set to take the helm at Triple-A Syracuse, replacing Tony DeFrancesco, who is the Mets’ new big league first-base coach. At Double-A Binghamton, Lorenzo Bundy replaces Kevin Boles, whom the Mets promoted to the position of Minor League field coordinator.