Jose Reyes’ last gift to Met fans is the compensation pick the Mets acquired from Miami. We won’t linger for long on the bitter disappointment in not trading Reyes for more than a compensation rounder because this post isn’t about Reyes. It’s about Kevin Plawecki.
Plawecki is a sizeable guy, at 6’2” and 205 pounds he has the body to drive the ball with authority. That doesn’t necessarily translate into oodles of power but it does mean that he’s capable of hitting with some power. The biggest tool Plawecki DOES bring to the table is contact/patience.
Thus far in 2012 he’s batting .264 for the Brooklyn Cyclones. This is okay but what is fun, is if you look farther right on the stat line you’ll notice that he’s got 17 walks and only 11 strikeouts. He’s also out slugging his OBP which is a solid sign of developing power. In his past 10 games he has 2 doubles and 2 HRs.
Also on Plawecki’s side is his defense. He’s noted for coming into the pros with good footwork and the ability to block the plate. Scouts loved his leadership and energy and he sounds like he could be a franchise backstop if his bat keeps up. Scouts are less optimistic about his arm which is probably his weakest tool. He will need to get better at throwing out runners or learn to hit like Mike Piazza. (If he can hit like Piazza, I don’t care if he has a 0% thrown out rate.)
Plawecki will start 2012 in Savannah which should sap his power. Keep an eye on his doubles and imagine that some of those doubles might go over the fence in other ball parks. If Plawecki progresses to Port St. Lucie in 2014 and steps up to Binghamton in 2015, it’s not absurd to pencil him into the 2016 lineup. Catchers develop slower and it’s hard for me to see Plawecki’s bat forcing the Mets to move faster.
Around The Minors:
AAA, Buffalo
Maybe It’s Me But – Josh Satin looks like a great future bench player and I’ll be sad to see him walk from the team if we can’t fit him into the 40 man roster.
Am I The Only One Who Sees – Chris Schwinden and thinks he could still be a major-league innings eater?
AA, Binghamton
Don’t Look Now But – Wilmer Flores is hitting again. He’s got a .918 OPS over his last 10 games and he’s playing mostly second base.
Not For Nothing But – Mark Cohoon was the player of the week. The 9 inning, 2 hit gem (with 10 Ks) probably had something to do with it.
Someone Explain Why – Armando Rodriguez is starting again. He was switched to relief and now back to the rotation… color me confused.
A+, Port St. Lucie
Perhaps You’d Like To Meet – Alonzo Harris, who is leading Port St. Lucie. He’s a converted 2B who has found a home in the outfield and learned to get on base now that he’s less concerned with the long ball. He’s likely a 4th OF.
When Does The Bubble Burst On – T.J. Rivera? He keeps hitting. He’s now hitting .305 through 47 games in the FSL and he’s managed to keep his SLG above .400.
Hopefully It’s Nothing But – Aderlin Rodriguez might be hurt. He has 4 HRs in his last 5 games but he last played on Aug 8th.
I Love – Jacob deGrom! He’s now in Port St. Lucie and his first outing was a 1 hitter. He DID walk 3 but with 8 Ks I’m not concerned.
A, Savannah
The Bat Is Not The Concern With – Camden Maron. He’s got a .799 OPS on the year that has it’s share of power, but I’m hearing concerns about his defense.
R, Brooklyn
Who Loves Doubles – Brandon Nimmo loves doubles! He’s got 8 doubles in his last 10 games. He’s also hitting .442 and doing everything but stealing bases.
Control Is Key For – Gabriel Ynoa and Hansel Robles. Ynoa pitched 7 scoreless innings on the 7th and K’d 8 with no walks. Robles pitched 8 on the 10th and K’d 7 with no walks. Between the two there were only 5 hits.
R, Kingsport
Don’t Look Now – Akeel Morris has been sighted. He’s had a rough year but his most recent 5 inning outing was spiffy and the 9 Ks point to the idea that Morris still has swing and miss stuff.
R, DSL
The Mets Really Have Something With – Vicente Lupo. He’s got a 1.119 OPS ON THE YEAR! He’s hitting .343 with a .489 OBP and a .630 SLG. He’s stolen 10 bases and he’s hit 10 HRs in 57 games. Looking for a whacky stat? He had 5 walks on August 13th. This raised his BB:K ratio to 1:1.
Looking For More Catchers? Well There’s – Manuel Hilario who is hitting .280 with a .829 OPS on the year. Hilario also has 19 SBs to 1 CS… for a catcher… that’s pretty cool.
I would be disappointed if Plawecki started next year in SAV. He’s a high-round college pick – he should be in PSL.
I thought of you when I saw that fine outing from JDG in Hi-A. Looks like he’ll get more than 1 or 2 starts there this year, which is good news.
Here is why I think he goes the Savannah in 2013:
1. Catchers develop slower.
2. Camden Maron needs to be in Port St. Lucie.
3. It’s the safer option.
Plawecki isn’t going to be Victor Martinez or Mike Piazza so the Mets don’t need to be agressive. He and Nido should be the tandem in the Met’s SAL league affiliate.
I think JDG could start 2013 in Binghamton because of his elevated age. It’s risky… but the Mets have the depth to take the risk.
FWIW, in addition to Plawecki, the Mets’ also got the pick they spent on 2nd rounder Matt Reynolds. And $266K in additional draft pool space (since they went under the allotment on both of those guys). And Mets fans got to watch 2 more months of Reyes and see the first Mets batting title (however bittersweet). Lots more moving parts than people tend to give credit for with the Reyes situation. But yeah, Plawecki looks solid, especially in light of the initial reaction Metsland seemed to have when he was drafted. I wonder if the Mets will consider jumping Plawecki straight to St. Lucie next April. He’s pretty polished and there’s really no one in the system that’s going to block him (in that he’s, at this point, the best catching prospect in the system, so his development should take priority over the others’).
I believe Rodriguez was just making another spot start & that he’ll continue to be used primarily out of the pen.
Yeah, DeGrom is especially exciting because he feels like found money. An unheralded 9th rounder who spent a year on the shelf after Tommy John surgery is all of a sudden a legitimate prospect? Yes please.
Hey Chris,
It’s a good point with Reyes and the batting title, but I think that a number of Met fans would prefer that he got the batting title elsewhere and the Mets netted better prospects… or even to have had the Mets hold onto Reyes who we loved.
The way I see things in terms of catchers in the Mets system next season:
AAA: Two guys who are capable of going up to majors at any point. Rob Johnson and Lucas May… sure, why not.
AA: Blake Forsythe and Francisco Pena
A+: Camden Maron and Albert Cordero
A: Kevin Plawecki and Tomas Nido
Plawecki would be on the list for a mid-season promotion but I don’t think he’s slowed by starting the year in Savannah.
I’ll keep an eye on Armando. I think he’s going to be Rule V’d this coming season.
hey ur missing juan ceneteno. i think he is one of the guys at triple a. could be a solid big league backup catcher. think josh thole with better defense.
he is currently at double a but should be at triple a next year.
Sure, and then you’d have a low-priced MLB ready backup option to split with him.
Centeno could be a rule 5 casualty if there’s no room.
No doubt they’d rather have the prospects now, but that’s kinda like saying you’d rather have not consumed the calories AFTER you’ve enjoyed a piece of cake. I also think there was a ton of financial uncertainty at the ownership level that bled into the decision. I think there was a much more realistic chance they’d be able to keep him in July than in October, is what I mean. He was also fresh of the DL in late July, and remained one of the biggest reasons for fans to come to the ballpark. I’m not saying keeping him at the deadline was out-and-out the right move, I’m just saying that it was less cut and dried than it’s often portrayed as having been.
As for catchers, Pena’s eligible for minor league FA this offseason, so he may well be gone. My point on Plawecki was that he should be placed first. If the best fit is A ball, he should go there. If it’s A+, he should go there. If it means Cam Maron or Albert Cordero being pushed to AA or held back at A, so be it. I also think Nido may be held back for extended Spring Training and Brooklyn. But maybe they push him to A ball. I doubt he’ll be at the same level as Plawecki, as they’ll want both guys to get plenty of reps behind the dish. But I guess you never know.
Someone might take a flier on Rodriguez in the Rule 5 draft this year. I’ve never seen/heard anything exceedingly special about him though. We’ll see I guess. But I wouldn’t protect him if I were the Mets.
Nido to Brooklyn makes sense. One of the other catchers at Brooklyn can move up to Savanna with Plawecki.
I’d be surprised if Nido doesn’t play in full-year ball next season.
Dunno, seems like the organization moves carefully with its more valuable prospects. In any event, I don’t see the Mets having Nido on the same roster as Plawecki. The platooning thing is ok with the lesser catching prospects but these two guys should catch five plus days a week; especially Nido – he’s so young.
Anyway, it’s a nice problem to have.
Aha! But would your rather Nido playing part time for a full season or more full-time on a partial season. I think Nido and Plawecki are both destined to start in Savannah. The biggest issue is this:
Maron, Plawecki and Nido are the Mets top catching prospects
None of them are ready for AA
All of them should be in full-season baseball
Plawecki and Nido have yet to play full-season ball
Could Nido play in Brooklyn? Sure! I just don’t think it’s better than splitting time in Savannah.
If I had KNOWN the Mets were going to let Reyes walk,I would have wanted him traded.I wanted the batting title only because I really thought they’d re-sign him.
Batting title was 100% meaningless to me. If it meant something to someone… it was Reyes. I wanted to keep Reyes with the team and I had (foolishly) thought that by not trading him the team was saying they had the money to keep him.
Manuel Hilario is a catcher? 20 games in 2011 and 3 games in 2012? Me thinks he’s more of a “trying to figure out where he fits” than a catcher, and him being 20 years 6 months. . . . he’s a little old for DSL. At his age, hitting a little bit in that league doesn’t mean much.
Jose Garcia might be something and maybe Dioni Rodriguez, who’s thrown out 60% of runners this year – both 17 so both are a long way off. Jose Garcia was a high priced prospect too so there’s some optimism there.