“I can’t wait to play [in New York]’’ d’Arnaud added. “It’s great being in a city where baseball is the No. 1 sport. It’s what I grew up with. I’m just really excited. I love this game, it’s treated me very well. … I’m going to keep focused and love the game like I have my whole life and have fun.’’ – Travis d’Arnaud via Kevin Kernan of the NY Post
So far, the talk around the Mets from us fans is about a former Catcher not getting hie due with the Hall
of Fame.
Now, that the sad truth is that Mike Piazza will have to “wait till next year” for the Hall of Fame, we can smile knowing the Mets this off-season acquired another Catcher, who many believed is on the same career path as the beloved Piazza, in Travis d’Arnaud.
When the rumors of the R.A. Dickey trade with the Blue Jays made the rounds, the name Travis d’Arnaud came up, but nobody thought the former Phillies farmhand, traded to Toronto in the Roy Halladay deal, would be calling Queens home in 2013.
As the panic set in that J.P. Arencibia could be the catcher the Mets would be acquiring instead of the much dreamed about top prospect d’Arnuad, a funny thing happened. People on twitter about the trade, were wrong! (Shock, Gasp, “dun dun dun” Music).
As we found out from both Sandy Alderson and Toronto G.M. Alex Anthopoulos, d’Arnaud was always going to be apart of the trade and the Mets now had finally gotten it’s catcher of the future and maybe of the present.
Reading the quote above, from a great article by Kevin Kernan of the New York Post, we see that this guy is ready to not only come to New York, but ready to make an impact as well.
If you are a young player, eager to prove something in the major leagues, than being a New York Mets player this season is not that bad at all. You know you are going to play, you know you can fail and still have a chance and you have no pressure to win this season.
Is that the dream scenario in terms of the team aspect? Hell no. But for a young ball player, it’s pretty good considering the alternative is being stuck on the bench or in Triple A somewhere else.
The outcome of the trade for d’Arnaud will always be based on how he performs in his career as a Met. His success or failure will be a major part of how the Sandy Alderson regime will be remembered and how this Mets franchise does going forward.
d’Arnaud most likely will spend some time in Vegas with Zach Wheeler to form the most anticipated Catcher-Pitcher duo for the Mets since Gary Carter teamed with Dwight Gooden for the 1985 season.
But, when his time is up in AAA, the promises and hope will be over and he will be asked to perform by fans to reach the level they expect a prospect of his stature to reach.
I’m sure when Travis d’Arnaud steps on the field for the first time in Queens sometime this upcoming season, he will be ready and I think he is determined to adhere to the expectations every Mets fan has for him.
