PORT ST. LUCIE — The old manager liked Jenrry Mejia in the Mets bullpen last season. The new manager wasn’t a fan of that decision.

Terry Collins said Wednesday he wasn’t on board with former Mets manager Jerry Manuel and former GM Omar Minaya when they decided last spring to convert Mejia into a reliever, an experiment that ended in June, when the rookie was sent to the minor leagues to resume as a starter.

“In the development side, from what I had heard I thought he should start [in April],” said Collins, who was the Mets minor-league field coordinator last season. “Everybody I talked to on the other side who are good baseball people think this guy has got a chance to be a top-of-the-order starting pitcher.”

Collins wanted it made clear he wasn’t ripping Manuel and Minaya.

“They made the decision they thought was right for them,” Collins said. “I understood exactly what happened last year and I certainly don’t blame the decision that was made.”

Collins envisions Mejia beginning the season as a starter for Triple-A Buffalo and perhaps joining the Mets this summer.

“That’s the purpose of making sure he goes [to Buffalo] and gets some innings,” Collins said. “Even if he comes up and ends up being in the bullpen, the more he goes out there, the better the command is going to be of his pitches. That’s ultimately going to be what helps him.”