This is going to be the first in a new series in which we look at the Mets position by position.
We won’t be evaluating each individual player, but more the situation the Mets have at all nine spots in the field. Today, we start with catcher, because he is in charge and often makes the decisions that make the final impact on any given play.
This is also a very interesting place to start, as Travis d’Arnaud enters a big prove-it type season where many expect him to take the next step in his development, barring he could stay healthy.The situation is like this. The Mets have d’Arnaud and Recker starting the season with the big club while young stud Kevin Plawecki will be waiting in the wings in Triple-A.
While listening to Mike Francesa the other day (I know, I regret it) he was actually giving an optimistic approach to the season, saying the Mets could win as much as 90 games, which would give them a realistic shot at one of the two Wild Card spots. He said that one scout told him that his bold prediction for 2015 is that Travis d’Arnaud will hit 25 homers. The Mets would certainly take that. Here’s a line I would love to see.
Batting Average- .280
Homers- 20
RBI- 85
d’Arnaud is slated to begin the season hitting seventh, but I don’t expect that to last long. If Wilmer Flores struggles early on, there’d be no reason for pitchers to throw d’Arnaud anything to hit.
The big concern, in my eyes, is defense. He seemed to let a lot of catchable balls wall on by, and his throwing to second base was suspect last year, to put it kindly. Can he improve upon last year? Surely, but he’s going to need to put in the work.
Backing him up with be Anthony Recker, who could be kind of all or nothing with the bat. He should be good for 7-8 homers as d’Arnaud’s understudy, but his solid defense is what’s keeping him with this team as the backup.
If d’Arnaud goes down with injury, I don’t think Recker is the guy for the starting gig. I think the Mets would call up Plawecki to see what they’ve got. If he hits and makes an immediate impact, we could have the makings of a soap opera with the catchers in Queens. Ultimately, having extra guys is a problem any team would love to have.
Going into the season, here’s my expected grade of what they’ll get out of the catcher’s position: B.
They have deeper issues elsewhere.
