New Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza makes the call to do some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby as his first spring training as manager gets rolling. 

Q: Fill in the blank: I will be successful because … 

A: I will be successful with developing culture here with the Mets … continue to help developing that culture that is gonna put us in a position to compete for a championship for years to come. 

Q: How difficult is it, and how long does it take? 

A: Well, it takes time, right? But it starts from Day 1, you understand where you’re at. That’s the challenge, right? You’re meeting so many new people, faces from so many different departments, that you’re trying to get everyone to pull in the same direction, so that’s where it starts. 

Q: Do you believe that you were built for this job … for this moment? 

A: Well, I’ve been prepared for this moment, you know (chuckle)? And I feel I’m ready, I know I’m ready, and I’m counting on the guys that are gonna be right next to me and are gonna go to battle with me. 

Q: Are there managers that you’re looking forward to matching wits against? 

A: Yeah!! (Laugh) There’s a lot of ’em. But obviously I have a lot of respect for Rob Thomson with the Phillies … Kevin Cash, and Alex Cora in Boston. And obviously Aaron [Boone] — as much as what I think of Booney, I can’t wait to get on the field and compete against him. Obviously the rivalry speaks for itself, you know? It’s New York. 

Q: Who were some of the managers who caught your eye way back when? 

A: I’m gonna go back to the days when I was a player in the minor leagues or even before that: Dusty Baker, his leadership skills, the way he communicated with his players, the way he treated people, and I always loved the way he ran the teams. … Bobby Cox back in the day, watching the Atlanta Braves when I was younger, obviously. … Joe Torre. … I was also a big fan of Terry Collins, to be honest with you. He took his team in 2015 to a World Series, but had a lot of respect and I always liked the way he ran his club, and I always admired the way he handled people and everything around in here in New York. 

Q: Once the game begins, what do you think is your strength in the dugout? 

A: I think that feel for the game, my ability to blend the information to what’s going on what my eyes are telling me as the game develops. I think I have a pretty good feel with that. Adjustments that you have to make in the game, or even from pitch to pitch, maybe it’s like a conversation as a message to a player right then. My feel for the game overall I think is one of my strengths. 

Q: Describe the traits of the ideal Carlos Mendoza baseball player. 

A: A guy that is prepared … cares about the teammates and obviously attention to details. You can have talent, right? The ability to execute fundamentals. Your preparation, your routine, and then the respect factor for me is important on an ideal Carlos Mendoza player. 

Q: Can you elaborate on the respect factor? 

A: People that respect themselves, their teammates, coaches, organization. Knowing that you represent yourself and you represent the New York Mets. So having respect not only for yourself but for teammates, other teams and the game itself. 

Q: What won’t you tolerate? 

A: People that are disrespectful. People that are not investing on building relationships, they’re not gonna be on board with what trying to do here, and that is doing whatever it takes to win championships, right? I don’t think that’s gonna be tolerated here. 

Q: What rules do you have? 

A: I don’t want to call it rules, I want to call it standards. There are standards. There’s high standards here, there’s high expectations, and we have to raise the bar in everything that you do. I’m gonna challenge guys to do a little extra. I’m gonna challenge coaches to do more so we can be prepared. Yeah, we could talk about respecting the game, playing hard and all that, but for me, that’s the standards for the New York Mets. 

Q: How do you motivate? 

A: It starts with relationships, it starts with investing time with people, also they get to know me, and they could trust me as much as I need to get to know them so I can trust them. I’m huge on investing time on getting to know people — not only as a player, as a coach, but off the field as well. That’s important for me. 

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Q: How do you deal with stress or the pressure of it all? 

A: I see it as a privilege. It’s one of those where you’re up for the challenge, but I see it as an opportunity. I want to be as prepared as I can so I don’t feel pressure. I embrace it, and I see it as a blessing and as an opportunity. 

Q: Describe Steve Cohen. 

A: He wants to win. He wants it just like all of us, and he’s doing everything that he can in his power to bring the championships to the Mets. I’m excited to get to work with him and understanding there’s always expectations. It’s been great, the support that I have from him and [wife] Alex, and I’m looking forward to partner with him. 

Q: David Stearns. 

A: Humble, smart, great communicator, people skills, cares about people. He’s got one goal in mind: to put this organization in a position to compete hit championships for years to come. 

Q: How do you feel about the lineup? 

A: I feel good. I feel good about our roster, not only the lineup, ’cause I think we’re too early to talk about lineups, right? 

Q: How about the rotation? 

A: I really feel good about that, too. We got depth, we got options. 

Q: And the bullpen? 

A: Same way. I feel like we did a really good job of adding depth in bringing so many different arms so now we got options, we got different looks, and I’m excited about that. 

Q: How about your defense? 

A: Really good. It starts with [Francisco] Lindor at shortstop with [Jeff] McNeil, and then you got guys like [Brandon] Nimmo, [Harrison] Bader, [Starling] Marte and Tyrone Taylor, and then you got guys like [Joey] Wendell, [Francisco] Alvarez and [Omar] Narvaez, you got Pete Alonso at first base, and then obviously we got the kids, they’re gonna be competing for spots on our roster too. 

Q: Team speed? 

A: I like it too. I mentioned a lot of ’em — Nimmo, Nader, Marte and Lindor. … Lindor is coming off 30 stolen bases last year, so we got a little bit of everything. 

Q: Who are coaches in other sports you admire? 

A: Nick Saban. … His honesty, his attention to details, obviously the record speaks for itself, right? I haven’t met him, but just by watching him go about his business. The other guy is Doc Rivers. … I had the privilege to meet him last year, and one of the things that I asked him if there’s anything to improve on right now as we speak, he said it’s my communication skills, and that got me was like, ‘Wow.’ … Phil Jackson, obviously, all the years with the Bulls and Lakers, that’s another one. For sure, those three off the top of my head. 

Q: Who are leaders that you admire? 

A: Obviously Derek Jeter. He was quiet, but the way he went about his business, he let people know how things were done. 

Q: Is Aaron Judge similar leadership-wise to Jeter? 

A: Hundred percent. I watched him grow up in the minor league system, and he saw some of the things that Jeter did. That’s why they named him the captain. I’m proud of him. But now (chuckle), he’s on the other side of town. I’m trying to beat him, you know (laugh)? 

Q: What impressed you the most about his pursuit of the home run record? 

A: How humble he was. The consistency, the moment was never too big or too low. He was always the same guy, but he was special. 

Q: How many times were you ejected from games? 

A: I was ejected once, and I don’t think it was my fault (laugh) from the dugout. It was “Sunday Night Baseball,” I think it was the Yankees-Red Sox game, and I got thrown out ’cause somebody else was yelling, and they point at me, and I got thrown out. 

Q: That’s the only time you’ve been ejected from a game? 

A: No. Managing in the minor leagues, in winter ball I got thrown out a few times (chuckle). I’m not chasing Aaron’s record (laugh). 

Q: You do expect to be ejected at some point as a manager? 

A: That’s part of the game. I don’t know that I’m expected to get thrown out, but in the heat of the moment situations happen, and obviously my job is to be in the dugout and be there for the guys and lead this team, right? But understanding that there’s gonna be situations that will come up, and we’ll see, we’ll see what happens. 

Q: What is the best baseball team you’ve seen? 

A: I want to go back to the [1989] A’s — Rickey Henderson, Mike Gallego was the shortstop, [Terry] Steinbach was the catcher, Dave Henderson, Dave Stewart. I remember being back in Venezuela, there was not much cable back then, so it really wasn’t like we were able to watch a lot of games, and the A’s were always in the playoffs, I remember those teams. Teams like the Braves, with [Greg] Maddux, and those teams, and then obviously the Yankees teams. 

Q: You played 13 years in the minor leagues. Did you ever think about quitting and giving up your Major League Baseball dream? 

A: Yeah … honestly, when you get punched in the mouth, or hit in the face, it gets to a point where you like second-guess yourself. This is it for me. Should I go back to school? What am I gonna do if this doesn’t work out? I’m glad that I had s really good support system with my wife, at the time my girlfriend, and then my parents, that always were there to push me. They were not afraid to say, “Keep going.” I’m glad I did it. 

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Q: Was there one specific time when you were closest to giving it up? 

A: Yeah. After my eight years with the Giants, I went to spring training with the Cubs, they invited me there and then I got released, and then I was like, “All right, I’m not sure what to do now.” I thought that was gonna be the end of my career. I thought about going to school and try to be an engineer like my dad. 

Q: What is the biggest obstacle or adversity you had to overcome? 

A: Oh wow, there’s a lot of ’em. The first one is going back to when I was 16 years old. I came over to a new country with a new culture, new language, everything was new for me. Just being away from the family for such a long time as a 16-year-old for the first time, it was hard. 

Q: What drives you? 

A: My family. They mean everything to me. Everything that I do is because of them. I get up every morning thinking God for the health and my beautiful family, my wife, my two boys, my parents. I’m doing everything for them. 

Q: Fill in the blank: I’m proud of myself because … 

A: I’m proud of myself for a lot of the things that I accomplished so far knowing that I haven’t done much, you know? But getting to where I’m at right now, I’m very, very proud, and I’m very proud of my family as well. 

Q: Three dinner guests? 

A: Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, let me think here, you only gave me three choices … 

Q: You can invite as many as you’d like, but why Jordan and why Brady? 

A: These guys were competitors. These guys were winners. These guys were always driven to get better. They were always looking for ways to get better. They were never satisfied. 

Q: Does that describe Carlos Mendoza? 

A: Sure, you’re always looking for ways to get better, you’re always looking for ways to learn. At the end of the day, the goal is to win championships. 

Q: OK, one more dinner guest. 

A: I’ll go Nick Saban. 

Q: Favorite movie? 

A: Wow. I’m not a movie guy (laugh) … “Rocky.” 

Q: Favorite actor? 

A: Denzel Washington. 

Q: Favorite singer/entertainer? 

A: Being Latin and from Venezuela, I will say there’s two of ’em: Gilberto Santa Rosa and Oscar D’Leon, two salsa singers. 

Q: Favorite meal? 

A: Steak. 

Q: Is it the lasagna at Don Angie that you like? 

A: Yes (laugh). 

Q: The lasagna is the best you’ve had? 

A: Besides my wife’s, yes (laugh). 

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Q: You said at the start of camp, “I know what I signed up for.” What did you sign up for? 

A: Expectations in New York. I know the fan base is expecting this team to win the championship, and they’re gonna let you know if we will accomplish that, right? This is a fan base that’s got a lot of passion for this team, and when you’re not playing well, you’re gonna hear them, but when you’re playing well, they’re gonna cheer for you. I embrace that, and I want our guys to embrace that as well. 

Q: When Mets fans watch your team play, what do you hope or what do you want them to say about it? 

A: That it is a team that is prepared, that they’re executing fundamentals, that they’re playing hard, and they’re giving their best. 

Q: What do you hope your full squad takes from your opening speech Monday? 

A: The connection, the relationships. We need to start trusting each other here, continue to pour into that, developing that culture … and then, that we’re good. That we’re good, and we got goals here, and expectations. 

Q: Do you think the Mets can be one of those teams that sneaks up on people? 

A: Sure. Hundred percent. 

Q: Have you visualized what it would be like winning a World Series with the Mets? 

A: Of course. What a place to do it! I can’t imagine doing it anywhere else but New York. It’s a dream, obviously, to raise the trophy. 

Q: What do you recall about the ‘86 Mets? 

A: You could tell that the guys had each other’s back and they were playing as a unit. It wasn’t just one guy, it was 25 guys ’cause at the time I want to say it was a 25-man roster, that it was 25 against whoever they were gonna face. 

Q: Is that the kind of team you hope to build here? 

A: Of course, of course. I’m gonna go back to the Gary Carters, and Mookie Wilson, Keith Hernandez. … They were like a family, but they were in it together.