Raise your hand if you’re relieved the Mets’ front office never gave into temptation and included backup catcher Kevin Plawecki in a trade. Keep it raised and waving if you’re disappointed that he hasn’t started producing like we all think he can at the Major League level. That’s quite a show of hands.
Plawecki was a late first round pick in 2012. The Mets snatched up the right-handed slugger out of Purdue University with the 35th pick and immediately had high hopes for the 6’ 2” catcher. After signing in June, Plawecki reported to low A Brooklyn where he slashed .250/.345/.384 in 61 games. The following season, Plawecki played a full season between two A affiliates and upped his production to .305/.390/.448, including 38 doubles. Now listed among the Mets’ top prospects, Plawecki ascended to AA Binghamton and shortly after AAA Las Vegas. In 2014, he split time between the two high level affiliates and put up an impressive .309/.365/.460 slash line.
In 2015, the plan was for Plawecki to get in a full season of AAA ball, but two separate injuries to Mets’ starting catcher Travis d’Arnaud changed that plan and Plawecki wound up spending more than half the season with the big league club. In 73 games with the Mets, Plawecki offered solid defense but at the plate offered just .219/.280/.296. Perhaps he wasn’t quite ready, or perhaps he was nervous in his first go around, but the general feeling was that this kid has a future.
This offseason there was talk of letting Plawecki start the season in AAA Las Vegas to get some seasoning and have a veteran catcher backup d’Arnaud. However, in a roster crunching move, the Mets hastily DFA’d Anthony Recker and failed to bring in a suitable replacement. AAA catcher Johnny Monell opened some eyes with a big spring last year, but has really proven he does not belong in the majors. The team brought in veteran journeyman Rene Rivera, a career .211 hitter, but he’s now backing up Plawecki, who not only began the season on the big league roster, but was again thrust into the starting role following yet another injury to d’Arnaud.
We all love Travis d’Arnaud. He came over in a big trade as a top prospect and proved last season that he can hit, with 12 homers in just 268 at bats, plus a monster shot over the centerfield wall that landed in the apple in the playoffs. But given the way d’Arnaud has struggled to manage the running game (the Reds stole five bases in one game the other night) and stay healthy (seriously, is he constructed out of Legos?), plus the terrible start he’s gotten off to this season at the plate (.196, 0 HRs), we desperately need Plawecki to step up and be the hitter we’ve all thought he can be. He doesn’t need to be Buster Posey, but he needs to hit .240 while continuing to play solid defense. That’s all most teams ask of their catchers, especially ones that have sluggers at most other positions.
Plawecki is now like the backup quarterback that everyone is rooting for. The fans and presumably the players are quickly souring on d’Arnaud and the door is open for him to be Wally Pipped. The question is, can Plawecki take advantage?
Given his injury history and early season struggles both hitting and throwing out base runners, d’Arnaud’s hold on the starting catching position should be tenuous. Yes, he’s been a good player when healthy the past two seasons, but he has never played a full season, has yet to really reach his potential and is still playing under an affordable rookie contract. Plawecki has a golden opportunity in front of him and we’re all rooting for him to come through. Whether he can wrest the position away from d’Arnaud is a topic for another day.
Be careful when you write things like, “we all think he can.”
There’s some big assumptions about your readership in there, wrong ones.
I don’t think he can hit, though there’s other qualities to like about him — in a Vance Wilson kind of way.
The drop from d’Arnaud to KP is steep and concerning. I don’t like shoulder injuries, and Travis may not play for a long time. Maybe KP can hit reasonably well, but I personally doubt it.
I never suggested he was the second coming of Mike Piazza. Plawecki is a solid defensive catcher who should be able to hit .240. If he can donthat and stay healthy he may prove to be a better option tha d’Arnaud in the long run. Even if TDA rediscovers his swing when he comes back I would not consider a long-term contract commitment to a player with his injury history.