Kevin Plawecki: Plawecki was drafted 35th overall by the Mets in 2012 and he was sent to play in Brooklyn. The college catcher proved to be a solid (albeit safe) pick as he turned in good (if not overwhelming) numbers. Plawecki managed a triple slash of .250/.345/.384 which is respectable over his 61 game debut in professional sports.
Scouting: At 6’2” and 215 pounds it is Plawecki’s body and not necessarily his history that suggests power.
Fielding: Plawecki is expected to have the defensive chops to be a good catcher but projects as more of a offensive catcher than a defensive catcher… which I frankly prefer.
The Bat: I like the bat and believe in Plawecki. The major asset as I see it is his eye. In 252 plate appearances he struck out 24 times and walked 25 times. It’s also worth noting that he managed 7 Home Runs and 8 Doubles.
ETA: Catchers don’t “Zip” through the minors. Plawecki will probably be heading to Savannah where he’ll get to play a full year. His power SHOULD dip and that is fine but if he can manage to hit at .250+ he’s still on target for his evolution. Now… Plawecki doesn’t project to unseat Travis d’Arnaud. Plawecki will either be trade fodder, a backup candidate or a plan B for d’Arnaud not living up to the hype.
Mets Top 20 Prospects:
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13. Kevin Plawecki, C (Full Season A) [2016 Catching Depth]
14. Hansel Robles, RHP (Full Season A) [2016 Rotation Battle]
15. Gabriel Ynoa, RHP (Full Season A) [2016 Rotation Battle]
16. Aderlin Rodriguez, 3B (A+) [2016 1B or DH]
17. Jack Leathersich, LHP (AA) [2014 Bullpen… 2015 Closer?]
18. Cory Vaughn, OF (AA) [AAAA]
19. Jacob deGrom, RHP (AA) [2014 Bullpen]
20. Steven Matz, LHP (Full Season A) [2016 Bullpen]
I understand that d’Arnaud was not in the system when they drafted Plawecki.
Still, we’re talking about a guy whose ceiling seems likely to be a backup catcher at the major league level. I just think we should be aiming higher than that with a supplemental first-round pick.
Plawecki could be a starting catcher. With d’Arnaud he’s destined for a backup role. He looks to me to be similar to Buck… maybe
I’m willing to accept Buck as a comp for his upside – not his most likely outcome in professional ball. Buck was a 7th-round draft pick. Not one of Buck’s top 10 comps at B-R was a #1 pick and two were American-born non-drafted free agents. To me this is not the profile of a guy you take where the Mets took Plawecki.
Was this a signability pick?
I think this was a pick based on what was available at a position of weakness.
Same COULD be said for Cecchini.(Who doesn’t make my top 20 list)
I agree – which is why I was not a fan of either pick. I think it’s a mistake to draft on need in the early rounds. You take the guy who has the best chance of being great. You want to reach for a position – take a seventh-round talent on the fifth round.
Yep.
Nice piece….A back-up guy who has caught pitchers he has come up through the organization’s system with has good value.
I still think that he could be a starter on a team without Travis d’Arnaud.
FWIW, Cam Maron should/could be the backup catcher starting mid-year 2014 until Plawecki is ready.