Mets win 9-0. Tyrone Taylor Goes Soto ++
Holmes and Myers are an ace duo, not an injury attorney law firm.
Tomas Nido As A Marginal MLB Catcher Has Earned Millions
AS THE 2026 BASEBALL SEASON GETS UNDERWAY, HERE’S ONE LAST “OFF SEASON” TYPE ARTICLE” IN LATE MARCH BEFORE I SHIFT GEARS.
I occasionally wonder what goes on in the minds of minor league players.
As you may recall, my question why minor leagues pitchers who are going nowhere (if those pitchers are being objective) don’t try to learn the knuckleball. Historically there have been many knuckleball pitchers who have pitched a tremendous number of highly successful years. And knuckleballers can still have success in today’s game, as the recent great success of Cy Young award winner RA Dickey showed that being a successful knuckleballer in today’s game is more than feasible. And can be more than lucrative.
RA Dickey indeed made a heck of a lot of money that he wouldn’t have otherwise made if he had not adopted the knuckleball. Multiple millions more. Tens of millions more in spendable income.
Someone just said to me, “ OK, Mr. knuckles, can we move onto another position, please?” So…
Let’s move on to the catcher position.
Former major leaguer Keith Osik was no Keith Hernandez. Mr. Osik, a catcher who played parts of 10 years (1996-2005) in the major leagues, hitting just .231 with a slightly negative career WAR.
If he played that many years in today’s game, as a backup, catcher, at today’s level of MLB salary rates, I am guessing he probably would’ve earned close to $20 million. I wonder, if he had not been a catcher, whether he would’ve made the major leagues at all, if he were forced to play another position. Had he not caught, then, he would’ve burned close to $20 million dollars (at current MLB salary levels) in lost opportunity revenue.
Likewise, ex-Met Tomas Nido has played several years off and on in the major leagues as a (very) marginal catcher, and has made several million dollars in the process. His career is apparently not yet over, and he may make more money than that. Having seen him play, I can’t imagine that he was good enough that he would’ve made the major leagues at any other position, and he would’ve therefore made several million dollars less.
Then you have a guy like outfielder Cesar Puello, a former Mets prospect who, in 2013 in Mets AA, hit a sizzling .326/.403/.547.
If you put up those kinds of numbers in 2025 in AA, the fan base would be drooling over him. After all, the revered Jett Williams in AA in 2025 hit a relatively inferior .281/.390/.477.
Puello played briefly in the major leagues, with some success. A not-shabby .246/.354/.347 in roughly 200 plate appearances, and then his big league dance was over.
His 2013 AA Explosion was not his only banner hitting stretch in the minor leagues.
After his move away from the Mets to other organizations, in part-time play in AAA, he hit .327 in 2017 and .313 in 2018. He also had a strong arm, which successful catchers need, obviously.
He made less than $1 million in his career as a non-catcher.
What if he had become a catcher?
His bat seemed at least as good and most probably better than that of Tomas Nido. And he stole 44 of 54 in 109 minors games in 2010, so his speed was far superior to snail-speed Nido, who in nearly 1,000 pro games is just 5 of 10 in steals.
Perhaps Puello, like Keith Osik, could’ve been a 10 year, up-and-down guy if he had been a catcher instead, and made a whole lot of MLB cabbage.
So I just ask you:
Why don’t you see any good minor-league hitters, who are running into the “can’t quite make it to the major leagues or only barely make it to the major leagues” syndrome, deciding to switch to catcher to try to become a second string MLB catcher in some organization and perhaps make $10 million or more in his career?
Typically, infield and outfield position players are more athletic than catchers. Someone would think that they could be adaptable to that position if they put in a grueling amount of work to hone catching skills and had a good arm.
I will make it personal before I leave….
If you were a good hitting minor league player, who is looking at the relatively few spots available at hitter positions at the major league level, and realize you might get shut out of the MLB game entirely just because there aren’t enough slots for a player of your talent level, why not switch to catcher and see if you can make it that way? What do you have to lose?
AND A BETTER QUESTION:
WHAT ($$$$$$) MIGHT YOU HAVE TO GAIN?
People in the real world switch jobs and careers all the time, and they do it many times because there are potentially far greater career earnings on a different path than what they started out on.
Why do you see so little of that in baseball today?
I understand that baseball specializes more than it used to, but that doesn’t mean a minor-league pitcher couldn’t try to master the knuckle ball, or a minor league position player with a strong arm couldn’t switch to a catcher role. And make a whole lot of dough.
That is one reason I really admire Chris Suero. He is pursuing the catching trade, even though he’s faster than most non-catchers in the minor leagues. I think the Bronx born Suero is really sharp in that regard and will be rewarded for his decision-making financially down the road.
EXTREME STARTS CAN SOMETIMES BE EXTREME INDEED
Hitters can struggle when they join a new team.
Hitters can doubly struggle when they join a new team and they’re beaned by flamethrower Bob Gibson on the first pitch of spring training, as was Tommie Agee in 1968, just as Upper Deck Agee began his multi-season stretch with the Mets.
That pitch to the temple could’ve killed him. It didn’t but it did cause him a ton of post-event trauma.
He started the season in 1968 well enough, going five for 16 over his first handful of games. Then, pitchers began to realize that he was stepping in the bucket on pitches that started out inside, but broke away. He then started to get a steady diet of such untouchable pitches. So, after that 5 for 16 start, which looked so promising, he went five for his next 80.
Surprisingly, in the second half of May he suddenly hit very well for 2 weeks. But then he went right back into the tank again, hitting just .136 in June and .125 in July.
He ended that lost season hitting .217, with 5 HRs and 17 RBIs in nearly 400 PAs, only surpassing .200 due to a late season surge, finally climbing over .200 on September 19.
1969? Well, that year was pay back, wasn’t it? Pay back can be sweet.
ONE THING YOU DON’T WANT EARLY IN THE SEASON IS INJURIES
Jorge Polanco, he of the age of 32 who is set to turn 33 this summer, has a recurring Achilles tendon problem. Aging guys decline, at times due to chronic injury. Remember Yoenis Cespedes and his Achilles area injuries at around the same age? I felt his pain.
The one thing that lessened the pain of Alonso’s ew 5 year contract is he only misses a minimum amount of games and only when severely hit by pitches, so his COST PER GAME PLAYED is lower than the cost alone appears.
NOT AL JACKSON, BUT…
Saw this: The Mets are signing right-handed reliever Luke Jackson to a minor league deal. Jackson, 34, pitched to a 4.06 ERA (4.49 FIP) and a 1.353 WHIP over 51 innings across 52 appearances last season while appearing for three big league teams: Texas, Detroit, and Seattle.
ODDS AND ENDS
Going into the season, Brooklyn’s line up to me looks - well, challenged - vs. high A pitching, and you can’t judge by very early games, except that ihe “challenge” showed up Friday evening in a 3-1 loss…4 hits, but 17 Ks. Next game, 3 hits, 13 KS. SO…30 Ks in their first 2 games of 2026. Yikes!
Next…
Need to call up a reliever that is 7-0 in his MLB career? Try Austin Warren, who is 1-0, 2 saves, and just 2 baserunners allowed in 5 scoreless innings in early AAA action.
In Binghamton’s season opener, Crushing Chris Suero went 1 for 5 with 4 Ks.
Terrible night? Nope.
He drove in 5 runs, with his one hit being a grand slam. And a sac fly.
I’d take that every night, what about you?
Ewing is hot in just 2 games. Good sign. Very good sign.
In his first 2 St Lucie games, Elian Peña had 2 doubles, a single, and 2 walks. Sweet.
7-7-7 - it may look good on a slot machine, but not in pitching runs allowed.
Tong, (ex-Met) Sproat, and Scott each recently allowed 7 runs…that’s 21 total runs in approximately 8 total innings. Aces(?) Wild!
CAM TILLY PRO DEBUT
People loved his draft selection. Now, I see why.
His St Lucie debut? 58 pitches, no hits, one walk, six Ks.
Of course, if he debuted in AAA, he would likely have allowed 7 runs, too, like the three hurlers above…just kidding.
GREAT FIRST OUTING! A DILLY FROM TILLY!
CONNER WARE, TOO. The 15th round lefty from 2025 went 3 scoreless one-hit innings, fanning 4 and walking nada, in his pro debut.
14 comments:
Benge is looking frustrated and overmatched. As it turns out, a healthy month or two of Tauchman and Benge in AAA might have been the preferred prescription, but Tauchman did not hold up his end of the bargain.
It was mentioned that one point that the combined outfield yesterday of Young, Baty, and Benge had just 7 total MLB games in the outfield.
If you add up Lindor, Polanco and Benge, they have just 410 points of batting average, while Vientos by himself has 471. Mark’s 3 hit offense was most welcome.
I am very impressed with what Mark Vientos has done so far this season. Always believed in the boy (sic).
Vientos is a smart man. He didn’t waste any hits in spring training and saved them all for the regular season. Carson, on the other hand, seems to have used up most of his early season hit Total during spring training and not during the regular season. Growing pains. Every MLB pitcher is tougher, sometimes by a lot, than what you faced in the minors.
The Mets are now 5th in runs scored (44 in 9 games) and its pitchers sport a SEAVER-like 2.58 ERA.
Greg Soto so far, 5.1 innings, 1 run, 11 Ks
Edwin, 3 innings, 1 run, 2 of 2 saves, 4 Ks
Alonso, last 82 at bats in spring training and regular season?
One homer, 2 RBIs. WHAT?!
Very strong game & full team effort last night. Very encouraging to watch. Hope Soto is only out for 10 days max. He needs to stay healthy.
Good to see some veterans & Vientos hitting like this.
Benge is another animal
Pressing
Really no one else to play
Okay Polanco
Your turn
Hopefully, Polanco does not become the Mets’ Achilles heel.
I am ready to start an early Mark Vientos for MVP campaign. Who’s with me?
Is he doing all this from one side of the plate?
Good thing these guys are not reading my posts.
Benge is definitely pressing. However, he is also playing against lefties which will serve him well long term. Good to see Baty hit the ball solidly; and great for Vientos to be taking advantage of his opportunities. Two of the pitches he hit for singles to right field were outside corner and beyond. These were pitches he could not handle last year. He didn't mash them this time around, but he did get his bat on them with enough oomph to get through the infield. This is a trend that needs to continue for him to succeed and there are two elements to success. Obviously, one is waiting on the pitch and going with it. The second is laying off the pitch entirely when it is just a bit farther off the plate? That is the margin zone for Vientos and may prove telling over the course of the season. Fingers crossed. The only other hole in his swing was up and in pitches. Eliminating or reducing both will go a long way for him, as he has a short swing which in principle gives him more time (we are talking miliseconds, but all of these guys are unicorns in part because of what they can do with a milisecond here and there). Good comparisons are Benge and Baty both of whom have longer swings. For my money of all the hitters I've seen on the Mets over the past year or so, I've seen no one with a quicker bat through the zone than Reimer, giving him a theoretical advantage of waiting longer to help cut down on K's. No one has better mechanics than Soto. Bichette has a quick bat too.
Bichette will lead the league in BA
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