Carlos Mendoza has been locked in during the Mets’ magical postseason run, but when he tries to process the last two weeks, he comes back to one thought: This could be a movie. “I keep saying you could write a book, you could make a movie,” Mendoza said after the Mets clinched a trip to the NLCS on Wednesday night. “Because this is it right here.” It would certainly be something. It would be like an anti “Moneyball” sequel. Instead of Brad Pitt shaking up the game from the front office, it could be Pedro Pascal in the dugout presiding over the most expensive roster in baseball. Eric Chavez, one of the original “Moneyball” A’s and now a hitting coach for the Mets, would obviously play himself. If the Mets do end up winning the World Series one year after losing 87 games, then put out the casting call. Only five rookie managers have led their team to a World Series championship (not including managers who were with the team the year prior on an interim basis): Alex Cora (2018 Boston Red Sox), Bob Brenly (2001 Arizona Diamondbacks), Ralph Houk (1961 Yankees), Eddie Dyer (1946 St. Louis Cardinals) and Bucky Harris (1924 Washington Senators). Mendoza and the Mets aren’t ready to look that far ahead just yet, but still, it’s impressive what he’s doing. Especially when you consider the Mets never seemed to be able to get out of their own way. But with owner Steve Cohen overseeing the club, David Stearns at the top of the baseball operations organization chart and Mendoza as the manager, the Mets seem to have found about as much stability as this team could in a single season. “David is extremely gifted in his expertise of building a team, and Carlos is extremely gifted in his expertise of being around teams and how to get them to pull on the same side of the rope, and be able to lift guys up and also challenge people at the same time,” said outfielder Brandon Nimmo, the longest-tenured player on the roster. “You combine all of that, and you get people that communicate well, all those different directions, and you find a successful recipe.” A year ago, it was assumed that Craig Counsell would come from Milwaukee to New York with Stearns, but once Mendoza’s name emerged, it started to make sense. The former Yankees bench coach checked a lot of boxes with the big-market experience and the coaching experience at several levels of the Yankees organization, but the Venezuelan added more with his Spanish-speaking abilities. Just about everyone who worked with him raved about how he’s able to take information from the executives, the stars, the last player on the bench and the groundskeepers, use what’s needed and articulate his reasoning for the decisions he makes. “He really connects well and he’s great with people,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters last week. “He’s obviously bilingual and very, very good at communicating with everyone. You realize what a good dude he is and you recognize his intelligence too. He’s just the real deal.” The 44-year-old Mendoza faced an uphill battle replacing Buck Showalter, who was beloved by the Mets’ clubhouse and in the city of New York as well. Players were angry with the way Showalter was treated by management in his final days as the Mets’ skipper and had a deep respect for the way he always stood behind them right up until he forced the Mets to fire him. But Mendoza was able to win over the team by being candid and accountable. He is closer in age to some of the players and he’s been described as one of the guys, while knowing when to not fully cross over that line. Stearns granted him autonomy to manage how he saw fit in games. Mendoza came to rely on pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and bench coach John Gibbons when it came to making the most important decisions, but he also has never been afraid to go against them when his gut tells him he’s making the right call, especially when it comes to pitching. “When it comes down to it, managing and handling your bullpen, that’s where the game is,” said Gibbons, a former manager for the Toronto Blue Jays. “Yeah, you have lineups, you might construct the lineup, you might put a little offensive play on, or a bunt or a hit-and-run. So that’s rare, right? Really, what everything revolves around is the pitching staff.” Mendoza was a former infielder and infield coach, so positioning came easy to him. But reading the leverage situations requires a learning curve for every manager. And no manager makes the right calls every single time, but when Mendoza isn’t right, he’ll admit it. “He’s trusted his gut, he’s went with the numbers and he’s mixed in the best of both worlds,” Hefner said. “And it’s been a lot of fun to have a front row seat.” Whether it’s a movie, a book or an episodic podcast, a Mets-Dodgers NLCS will be another entertaining chapter. More eyes will be on Mendoza than ever, and the Mets manager seems ready for the moment.