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Mack’s Mets – the premier site for information on the New York Mets talent pipeline and dialogue on Mets prospects, Mets news, and Mets opinions.
2/10/10
The Future Of Mets' Catching
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Josh Thole – boy, there’s no pressure on him, is there? The whole Met world awaits the arrival of Prince Josh, younger brother of King David. Will he hit .360+ again at AAA this year? Will he jog into Citi Field after the all-star break and lead the team to the playoffs? Or will he flap his ears and fly to the moon? My money is on Josh.
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Francesco Pena – I have spent three years trashing this kid, so I’m going to let off for this season. Pena was invited to spring training because of his father’s ties to the team and they need bullpen catchers to train the pitchers. You’re right, I’m starting again. If you can’t say anything good, don’t say anything…
Mike Nickeas – frankly, Nickeas was one of the best trades the Mets have made in the minor leagues over the past few years. Never known for his hitting, Nickeas has taken over the role that Mike DeFelice did before him; mentoring the young pitchers and being the steady, defensive influence he is. One of the best defensive catchers in minor league history, his future is some day as a coach.
Jordan Abruzzo – one of the things on my list when I get to ST is to find out if Jordan is still with the team and whether or not his wing healed during the off season. Abruzzo can truly hit the ball, but has never been given a chance to play every day, anywhere. Hopefully, he will this season.
Tony Maccani – same thing I wrote about Abruzzo goes here… Macanni is another of those “bullpen catchers” that never seem to get a shot. I know a team has to have them, but give the dude 300 at bats...
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4 comments:
"Nickeas debuted professionally with the Spokane Indians, batting .288/.384/.494 with 55 RBI in 61 games. He led the Northwest League catchers with 419 putouts and tied Brandon Green for third in the NWL in RBI, trailing Chris Carter by 8 and Travis Metcalf by 7. Nickeas was named to the NWL All-Star team at catcher." "Nickeas hit .333/.398/.502 as Georgia Tech's starter and followed by hitting .364 in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. He tied for 12th in the ACC in average. With Team USA's college edition that summer, he hit .303, 4th on the team and ahead of Dustin Pedroia, Brent Lillibridge or Eric Patterson. Nickeas split catching duties with Jeff Clement. He helped the US win Silver in the 2003 Pan American Games." from Baseball-Reference.com
Sounds like Nickeas can hit when given the opportunity to be a starter. Something the Mets have never done.
Thanks for the comments.
I met Mike a few weeks ago for the first time and he's a very nice person. As I've said, he's a hell of a defensive catcher.
He did start for the B-Mets in 2007 and batted .217 in 212 at bats.
In 2008, for New orleans, he had 163 at bats and hit .215.
When I mentioned being a "starter" that would usually entail approx. 350-380 ABs per season. that was the only point. He has not been considered a starter, where he would play 3-4 games per week.
You mentioned Jordan Abruzzo also has never been given a chance to play everyday, also.
The Mets like to do this.
They like to carry three catchers per team, the third being a bullpen catcher.
The good news is an additional catcher per team gets a miserable paycheck.
The bad news... many catcher like Abruzzo, Tony Maccani, and Teddy Dziuba, never get a chance to play real time.
Do the Mets make a mistake?
Most of the time, no. They obviously draft late round defensive catchers to do this job.
In the case of Abruzzo, they are waisting a good bat.
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