Mets Card of the Week: 2013 Travis d’Arnaud

2013 BOWMAN PLATINUM TRAVIS d’ARNAUD

Here we are, another meaningless September halfway done. It’s an ideal time to look back on the learnings of 2013, or perhaps chart a theoretical course for a healthier Mets’ future.

Alternatively, it’s also an opportunity to wallow in Mets’ ephemera. (I think you can guess where this is going…)

So in that spirit, I submit for your consideration the following question: Can Travis d’Arnaud become the best apostrophic player in team history?

Granted, the competition for this title is not too fierce. It kind of like being the tastiest item on the Denny’s menu or the best Mumford & Sons’ song…

Here’s a quick rundown of the field:

Tom O’Malley
Believe it or not, the Mets did not employ a player with an apostrophe in his name until O’Malley joined the club as a bench player in 1989. This is indisputable evidence of the persistent and shameful organizational bias against surname punctuation.

Charlie O’Brien
Clearly, the team tried to overcompensate for its poor history regarding apostrophic names by signing Charlie O’Brien to join O’Malley on the roster in 1990. I can imagine that this must have pretty much blown the mind of the clubhouse manager, who after 27 years of not needing to sew apostrophes on the back of road uniforms suddenly had to do it twice…

Jeff D’Amico
O’Brien spent four years as a backup catcher with the Mets, and following his 1993 departure via free agency, things were quiet on the apostrophe front until D’Amico showed up in 2002. Many fans consider D’Amico’s signing to have been a sop to the vocal pro-apostrophe crowd, and his performance that year (6-10, 4.94 ERA) did nothing to argue against that notion.

Darren O’Day
O’Day logged a total of 3 innings with the 2009 squad. He’s got a 0.00 career ERA as a Met going for him, which is nice…

Mike O’Connor
Like O’Day, O’Connor saw limited use in his time with the Mets, throwing 6.2 innings for the 2011 team.

All things considered, it seems fairly safe to say that the titan of Mets’ apostrophic players is none other than Charlie O’Brien.

O’Brien leads all such players in length of service and in most major offensive categories. Meanwhile, the apostrophic pitchers did little to distinguish themselves during their respective stints in Queens.

So Travis d’Arnaud, the gauntlet has been thrown– can you exceed the achievements of Charlie O’Brien and become the Mets’ all-time greatest apostrophic player?

**************************************************************************************************************
Got something to say about the Mets? Go to the Mets360 Forums to talk about whatever you like in regards to the Amazins!
**************************************************************************************************************