Jared Porter was a two-sport captain in high school and college and had stronger family bloodlines in hockey than baseball.
But while the Mets are the newest benefactors of him ultimately choosing a career in baseball over hockey, hiring him as their next general manager on Saturday, it’s not out of the question Porter could have been tagged for a front office in the NHL instead of MLB.
“He could have just as easily ended up on the hockey side,” Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, Porter’s cousin, told The Post in a phone interview Tuesday. “But obviously it’s worked out for him, so we’re thrilled.”
Long before Porter was an important voice in trade talks for the Red Sox, Cubs and Diamondbacks, the Minnesota native was a defenseman at Thayer Academy in Braintree, Mass., playing on teams with future NHL blueliners like Brooks Orpik and Ryan Whitney, plus Sullivan’s brother Brian. Porter went on to play both baseball and hockey at Division III Bowdoin College in Maine, where he tallied eight goals and 27 assists across four seasons on the ice.
“He was a very good defenseman,” said Sullivan, who played 11 years in the NHL before beginning his coaching career.
While Sullivan has reached the highest stage of his own profession, winning a pair of Stanley Cups with the Penguins, he has watched from afar as Porter has been a part of World Series championships working for the Red Sox and Cubs.
That experience, along with knowing Porter’s character and work ethic, give Sullivan plenty of reason to believe he will have success in his new role in Queens.
“We all know how difficult pro sports is to be successful, and Jared has worked extremely hard to get the opportunity that he’s been given with the New York Mets,” Sullivan said. “So we’re all really excited for him. I know he’s gonna do a great job, he’s a real smart kid and he has a sense of humility to him that I think resonates with people. As a result, when I read articles about Jared and how likeable he is in the baseball community, it doesn’t surprise me. He really is a terrific person.”
The 41-year-old Porter is 11 years younger than Sullivan, but sports have long been a part of their close families, Sullivan said. Porter’s grandfather and Sullivan’s uncle, Joe Sullivan, was a diehard Red Sox fan (as was Mike Sullivan’s dad, George), making it a thrill for the family when Porter began interning with them 2004.
That began Porter’s MLB journey, which has now made Queens its latest stop.
“It’s just [his] passion for sports and that competitive spirit that has helped to shape him into who he is,” Mike Sullivan said. “But he has a certain humility to him that I think will serve him well, because it will motivate him to continue to work as hard as he’s worked to this point.”
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December 16, 2020 at 11:50AM
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Mets GM Jared Porter could have had an NHL career - New York Post
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