What do we have if we don’t have d’Arnaud?

The New York Mets are anticipating a healthy and solid growth year from Travis d’Arnaud this year. This contribution doesn’t necessarily have to be in the form of HRs or RBIs. A full season with 400 ABs, a decent batting average, some developing rapport with the pitching staff will likely satisfy most expectations.

But what happens if those expectations are derailed? What if (and let’s all keep our fingers crossed) he gets injured? Who will the Mets turn to?

First on the depth chart after d’Arnaud is Anthony Recker. Recker is 30; he bats right-handed and has been with the club since October of 2012, when he was selected off waivers from the Chicago Cubs organization. He was originally drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the eighteenth round of the 2005 amateur draft.

Last year, Recker appeared in 50 games, had 135 ABs, had six HRs, and knocked in 19 RBIs (he also pitched an inning for the team last year). He’s good for some power and is willing to take a walk (13 BBs last year). He ended the season with a .4 positive WAR value.

Next on the organizational depth chart would likely be Juan Centeno. What would Centeno bring to the ballclub?

He is only 24 years old. He bats left-handed. He is relatively small; he stands 5’9″ and weighs 172 lbs. He has never exhibited power in the minors but he offers superb defense (we all know that he threw out Billy Hamilton last season). If the team ends Spring Training as planned, they will head north with both d’Arnaud and Recker; Centeno will head to Las Vegas, where he will be able to develop his own rapport with the Mets AAA pitchers.

If something were to happen to d’Arnaud, could the Mets absorb another player who might not contribute to consistent run production? They’ve already got potential issues with offensive contributions at shortstop and at center field. Oliver at Fangraphs projects Centeno to have .8 WAR next year so, like Juan Lagares, he adds enough defensively to make an overall positive contribution.

In any “Centeno as catcher” scenario, we could see more low-scoring games.
If he limited an opposing team’s running game and adequately handled the pitching staff, this could be an interesting combination. With the team’s improved defense and unfolding pitching potential, we could turn a few scored runs per game into team victories. Of course, this would fall apart if there are other fielders who don’t adequately field their position.

All that being said however, the plan still is to go into 2014 with d’Arnaud as their starting catcher. So let’s hope that d’Arnaud gets his 400 plus ABs. Let’s hope that Recker hits around 10 HRs. Let’s hope that Centeno gets a call-up in September. Because after this in the pecking order is a kid named Kevin Plawecki.