Tom Brennan: I Wish Mets Had a Catcher Like Hobie

I love a good gag, most times.

But when I look at the production of Mets backup catchers in the past few years, in a different way, I gag a lot.

By the numbers:

2019: Nido, Rivera, and d'Arnaud - 32 for 175 (.183)

2018: Mesoraco, Nido, Lobaton and d'Arnaud - 69 for 351 (.197)

Sub-Mendoza two straight seasons!

Think a just little further back...Anthony Recker?  

He hit .190 in 140 games as a Met between 2013 and 2015, in 389 at bats.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a Mets back up catcher option the caliber of, say a....

HOBIE LANDRITH.

We at Macks Mets have had a frequent reader and valued contributor who uses the Hobie handle.  

He is not Hobie Landrith, who is now 90 years old, but it got me thinking:

Would Hobie Landrith, transported to today, have been a superior back up catcher?  

Well, maybe you don't know about Hobie.

Here's some scoop:

Hobie played in 772 games over 14 seasons in the majors between 1950 and 1963, retiring at age 33.  He broke 100 games just twice, and had 4 seasons of between 70 and 83 games.  So he was a back up catcher, production-wise, more often than not.

The 5'10", 170 Landrith played just 23 games for the Mets, in historic and (corona virus-free)1962, and while the team went 40-120, he went .289/.389/.422 in his brief Mets stint.  He was sold to the Orioles in June 1962 after the Mets had lost their 17th straight game.

Amazingly, he was the Mets' first pick in the 1961 expansion draft.

Over his whole career, he was .233/.320/.327 in 2,228 PAs.

I'd take .233/.320/.327 from my Mets back up catcher, especially, if he could be solid defensively, wouldn't you, considering what the Mets have gotten out of the back up catcher spot in recent years?

Well, Hobie threw out 40% of would-be base stealers in his career, so you can check of that box too, and he was a solid .983 fielding percentage catcher.

So, would I take him in his "prime" as a back up Mets catcher?  In a heart beat.

Lastly, Wikipedia had this note regarding his best moment as a Met, which I thought you would enjoy:

Landrith's only home run as a Met came at a prime moment on May 12. He was set to pinch hit in the bottom of the 9th inning with the Mets down 2-1 against the Milwaukee Braves and all-time pitching great Warren Spahn. 

When Landrith reached the batter's box, Stengel called time out, going to the batter's box and whispering something in Landrith's ear. On the first pitch, Landrith hit a game-winning two-run home run. 

After the game, Stengel remarked, "I told him to hit a home run." 

In typical Mets form for the inaugural season, the win was almost voided when Rod Kanehl, pinch runner for Gil Hodges, failed to touch third base after the home run. Third base coach Solly Hemus gave Landrith a sign to slow down, then escorted Kanehl back to third base. If Landrith touched third base before Kanehl, Rod would have been called out and the Braves would have gained a win on a walk-off home run by the opposing team.

I can almost hear it: HO-BIE, HO-BIE, HO-BIE, HO-BIE!