Tom Brennan - DRAFT DUDS 2008

Tom Brennan - DRAFT DUDS 2008

The Mets have over many years not drafted enough power pitchers and power hitters in the earlier (say, first 10) rounds of the annual draft.

I think the Mets drafted reasonably well that season, but some bizarre and serious injuries made it work out not so well long term.  

Let me start first with 2008's Top 10 Round DUDS (whom I define as "what were they thinking" picks), followed by the good DUDES (or those destined to be good until injured) and maybe some useful observations can be made and conclusions drawn.

DUDS

JAVIER RODRIGUEZ, OF, 2ND ROUND, # 68 OVERALL: never even made it out of rookie ball (well, not true, he did get under 100 at bats in Savannah), and he was the 68th overall pick - now THAT is a dud!  Actually, his hitting, while not earthshaking, would have made him one of this year's best rookie ball hitters.  JR got up 769 times, fanned too much (171 times), and hit .248/.315/.388. 

He produced 50 doubles and 15 homers, not bad, but still clearly underperformed for a #68 overall pick.  He was listed at 6'2", 165, kind of skinny, yet was not a speedster, with just 8 of 14 steals.  Poor pick at that level.

CHARLES Z. ZOYLE, C, 5TH ROUND, # 164: apparently never played pro baseball - and was drafted in the 5th round - DUD!

MICHAEL HEBERT, P, 7TH ROUND, # 180 - he was distinctly mediocre, got to Savannah briefly, but threw just 166 innings over 4 seasons.  12-14, 3.85, 1.40 WHIP, 146 Ks.  Not terrible, but not making it at least to St Lucie from the 7th round renders you a DUD pick. 

BRIAN VALENZUELA, P, 10TH ROUND: a DUD pick, the lefty was listed at just 5'10, 155, and went 2-10, 6.09 in 68 rookie ball innings.  

Advice: avoid soft tossing midgets until at least the 30th round.  Having the last name Valenzuela does not make you Fernando.

DUDES

Several real dudes in the top 10, but the unfolding was akin to a Shakespeare tragedy.  Macbeth agrees with me.

IKE DAVIS, 1B, 1ST ROUND, # 18 OVERALL: Ike was a good selection, but a sad tale indeed.  It took the power hitter something like 300 plate appearances to record his first minor league homer, and to me smelled like a possible bust.  In his first full minor league season, he was very impressive, and after a very short stint in AAA in 2010, up he came.  

Ike had a highly impressive rookie season with the Mets in 2010, and got off to a scorching start in 2011, seemingly the Mets' next star until the oft-injured David Wright stepped on his foot on a play by the mound, after which Ike was improperly treated medically.  36 games was it for Ike in 2011.  In 2012, Ike got off to an excruciatingly prolonged bad start, but then hit homers in huge bunches in the season's 2nd half, and it looked like our star 1B was back.

He wasn't back - he mimicked his horrendous 2012 start in 2013, and eventually got demoted.  The Duda vs. Ike debate erupted in earnest that spring, eventually Ike got traded, and he hit marginally and ended up in the minors, and appears he may try his hand at pitching now.  A baffling one, but certainly a good pick.  Always leaving one to wonder: what if David Wright HADN'T stepped on Ike's foot (ankle)?

REESE HAVENS, IF, 1ST ROUND, # 22 OVERALL: should really be in the DUD column, but it was a serious injury that did him in.  After his Brooklyn debut in 2008, he hit well in A ball in 2009, with pop.  Hopes were rising.  

In 2010, he got off hot: .312/.386/.592 in 32 games, mostly in AA - sure looked like a fine pick to that point, with people wondering how long it would take for him to join David Wright as a star in the Mets IF - then the doggone Mets Jinx hit him, too...he suddenly had bad rib cage issues, eventually needing rib-shortening surgery, playing only 193 games from May 2010 until his career ended in 2013 - sounds eerily reminiscent of David Wright.  If no injury, he looked like Ike did - a fine pick.  Injuries suck.

BRAD HOLT, P, COMP PICK, # 33 OVERALL:  Another Mets Jinx dude.  

An excellent pick, he dominated big time in Brooklyn in his debut season.  The Mets jumped him to St Lucie in 2009; he got shelled in his first game, but in his next 9 outings, he was outstanding: 46 IP, just 8 earned runs and 29 hits, and 52 Ks...fans began to drool - then of course big time arm problems hit him and he was just never anywhere near the same again, with his career ending in 2012.  Another sad teaser tale for hungry Mets fans. 

KIRK NIEUWENHUIS, OF, 3RD ROUND, # 100:  Captain Kirk conceptually was another fine Mets pick who never quite panned out due to his inability to curtail his strikeouts.  Good size, strong, good speed...hole in bat.  Worst Mets player to ever hit 3 homers in a game.  Mets tried to draft power and speed, it almost worked out, but those strikeouts could never be reduced.

SEAN RATLIFF, OF, 4TH ROUND, # 134:  Another Mets Jinx victim!!!  A promising career cut short when he got nailed in the eye while in the on deck circle.  He also fanned a bit too much, but in 2010, he played great in A and AA, hitting .298/.353/.505 in 130 games.  He later briefly tried a comeback, but was unable to proceed.

Early on, with Davis, Havens, Holt, Kirk and Ratliff all looking so promising, this in many Mets fans' eyes had to be sizing up to be one of their best drafts ever - then gosh, the injuries were stunning and career-changing. Injury-wise, Davis, Havens, Holt, and Ratliff remind me of the Mets' injury-ravaged 2017 season.  

JOSH SATIN ROUND 6, ERIC CAMPBELL IN ROUND 9: Certainly not duds, but I would have tried to draft guys with more power.  Neither had speed nor power.

ERIC BEAULAC, P, 9TH ROUND:  Eric was in fact the type of guy I like to see drafted, a hard thrower who compiled 52 starts and 65 relief appearances over 6 seasons and was 21-21, 3.40 with a K per inning, including a few outings in AAA.  

His control issues appear to have been his undoing, averaging almost 5 walks per 9 IP.  He also did not pitch a lot those last 3 years, indicative of probable health issues.  Nice try here by the Mets.  Didn't pan out.

Below the top 10, only Colin McHugh turned out to be any good. Rounds 11-50 were filled with a bunch of no-names, with my favorite being Forrest Gump's brother Brian Gump in the 46th round.  That's all I have to say about that, and about 2008's Mets draft, for that matter.

Reese Kaplan -- Happy Hot Stove Season!

Now that the World Series has ended (Hooray, Astros!), the Hot Stove Season has officially begun.  Let’s bear in mind some key dates (including one today) to watch as the Mets continue to fill out their roster for the upcoming season:

• 11/2 – Players may file for free agency and the 5 day window opens for teams to negotiate exclusively with their potentially departing personnel
• 11/4 – Deadline for option decisions to be made (unless contract specifies otherwise)
• 11/6 – Date by which a $17.4 million QO must be made to any departing free agent (think Neil Walker – no, forget)
• 11/7 – Free agents who have not re-signed with their current team may now begin negotiating with all others
• 11/13 – Players must decide whether or not to accept a QO if a team indeed offered that to them
• 11/13-11/16 – GM/Industry meetings take place in Florida
• 11/20 – Deadline for ballclubs to protect players from the Rule V draft on the 40-man roster
• 12/10-12/14 – Winter Meetings in Orlando, Florida
• 12/14 – Rule V Draft
• 1/13 – Deadline to submit arbitration figures for both teams and players to be decided by an independent third party

Of course, the club also needs to make some coaching decisions for the bench, 1^st base and elsewhere.

Grab a mug of a your favorite beverage and let the Hot Stove begin…

Mack's Apples - 11-2-17 - Jackie Robinson, Topps, Red Sox, Michael Conforto, R.A. Dickey

Good morning.

Jackie Robinson $591K Baseball Cap Breaks Babe Ruth Auction Record –

Also in the Lelands auction, Jackie Robinson’s final warmup jacket from 1956 changed hands for $159,441.60. He gave the jacket to a tenant in the same Brooklyn building where they lived after one of his relatives was involved in a fatal car crash. The recipient was the consignor’s godfather.

“One of the true Holy Grails of the sports collecting hobby, the cap has had only two owners since the Robinson Family,” said Lelands. Made before the advent of batting helmets, the custom wool cap that he wore in his rookie year, 1947, and in the following season shielded him from violent opponents.

 Topps adds daily cardboard photos to baseball card empire –

In an era when selfies and social media posts have become keepsakes, Topps, the venerable custodian of the fine art of baseball cards, has found a way to capture the moment quickly and in tangible fashion for fans who still long for handheld memories.

Topps is in its second season producing Topps Now, a daily cardboard photo gallery of the season's highlights. Employees confer daily to determine which moments are worth commemorating, and their choices are composed and sent to the printer the next day.

Red Sox new coaching staff will follow the way of baseball link -

                   

  The manager has a comfort zone with coaches and they generally must be a known and not an unknown. The baseball philosophy of the manager will be filtered to the coaches.  Cora is baseball smart and survival depends on coaches who know what to do with their delegated role. Cora is supposed to be a “natural leader to guide their clubhouse” according to owner John Henry. Part of that equation is to have eyes and ears of the clubhouse which is also a function of the coaching staff. That is the way of baseball.

 Michael Conforto has just scratched surface of MLB success –

           

2015: 9 home-runs, 26 RBIs, 17 walks, .335 OBP and .270 batting average

2016: 12 home-runs, 42 RBIs, 36 walks, .310 OBP and .220 batting average

2017: 27 home-runs, 68 RBIs, 57 walks, .382 OBP and .279 batting average

What you need to understand is that Conforto was able to improve his batting average and on-base percentage with 69 more at-bats in 2017 than he had in 2016. If you’ve been around the game of baseball for any amount of time, you’ll quickly realize that time works against averages, especially in hitting.

Should The Mets Bring Back  R.A. Dickey -

If R.A. chooses to hang around for one more season, think that’s great. He’s easily one of my favorite Mets players in the past 10 years. But when you break up with someone it’s important to know when to move on, and whether or not you should take them back. In this case, let’s all keep our memories of Dickey happy ones. I wish him all the best, just not back here in New York.

11/01/2017 Winter League Results | Nido Struggles Continue, 6 Game Hit Streak for Carrillo, Singles Keep Coming for Nunez

Arizona Fall League
- Glendale Desert Dogs 0 - 6 Salt River Rafters
- Mesa Solar Sox 8 - 5 Surprise Saguaros
- Scottsdale Scorpions 7 - 5 Peoria Javelinas

• DH Tomas Nido: 0 for 3, R, BB

Mexican Pacific League

- Charros de Jalisco 9 - 6 Naranjeros de Hermosillo

- Yaquis de Obregon 6 - 2 Mayos de Navojoa
- Tomateros de Culiacan 7 - 3 Venados de Mazatlan
- Caneros de los Mochis 2 - 3 Aguilas de Mexicali 

• C Xorge Carrillo: 1 for 3, BB

Venezuelan Winter League

- Aguilas del Zulia 9 - 1 Tiburones de La Guaira

- Caribes de Anzoategui 6 - 7 Tigres de Aragua
- Leones del Caracas 3 - 4 Bravos de Margarita
- Navegantes del Magallanes 3 - 4 Cardenales de Lara

• RHP Darwin Ramos: 0.2 IP, 2 K

Dominican Winter League

- Tigres del Licey 9 - 11 Toros del Este
- Estrellas Orientales 7 - 6 Gigantes del Cibao

• 2B Gustavo Nunez: 2 for 4, R, 2 RBI(3) [13 Hits, 13 Singles, 0 XBHs, 0 BBs = .520 AVG/.520 OBP/.520 SLG]

- Aguilas Cibaenas 2 - 1 Leones del Escogido

• LF John Mora: Defensive Replacement

Roberto Clemente Puerto Rican League

Side Note: Regular Season will start January 8th, 2018.

Tom Brennan - Homers by Mets Minors Outfielders

Pictured - JAYCE BOYD



Tom Brennan - Homers by Mets Minors Outfielders

In a year where the major leagues set a record for homers in a season (6,105, per Baseball Almanac), and in a season where Stanton just missed 60 and Judge hit 52, how exactly did the Mets minors do in homers? 

Are we developing home run hitters to joint that HR Hit Parade?

Well, that is kind of a broad question, so let’s focus on the outfield only for the 7 Mets minors teams in this article, since outfield is usually a category where home run hitters are most predominant.  I’ll save my comments – mostly – until the end.  You, the reader, can evaluate the raw data first yourselves.  I listed guys who were predominantly OFs.

LAS VEGAS 51’S

Travis Taijeron – 25 in 125 games (dropped from 40 man)

Jayce Boyd – 11 in 92 games (in just 246 ABs - surprise!)

Travis Snyder – 10 in 117 games (journeyman)

Victor Cruzado – 7 in 94 games

Brandon Nimmo – 4 in 42 games (5 for Mets in 177 at bats)

BINGHAMTON RUMBLE PONIES

Kevin Kaczmarski – 5 in 128 games

Champ Stuart – 5 in 101 games (speed and Ks)

LJ Mazzilli – 5 in 110 games (about half played in OF)

Kevin Taylor – 3 in 114 games (76 games in OF)

Patrick Biondi – 2 in 94 games

ST LUCIE METS

Tim Tebow – 8 in 126 games (former NFL QB)

Nick Sergakis – 6 in 65 games (.252/.371/.432 in 2^nd season)

Wuilmer Becerra – 4 in 128 games (surgery sucks)

John Mora – 3 in 133 games

COLUMBIA FIREFLIES

Desmond Lindsay – 8 in 65 games (surgery sucks)

Jay Jabs – 7 in 90 games (.206)

Jacob Zanon – 1 in 66 games (speedster)

Arnaldo Berrios – 2 in 84 games

Gene Cone – 0 in 84 games

BROOKLYN CYCLONES

Jose Miguel Medina – 1 in 91 games

KINGSPORT METS

Anthony Dirocie – 11 in 61 games (93 Ks)

Wagner Lagrange – 4 in 58 games (.330)

Rafael Gladu – 2 in 36 games

Dionis Paulino – 2 in 51 games

Guillermo Granadillo – 1 in 61 games

GCL METS

Kenny Bautista – 3 in 43 games

Raul Beracierta – 1 in 49 games (18 yr old)

Edinson Valdez – 0 in 25 games

Let’s exclude Travis Taijeron for just a moment, since he may well not be back with the Mets farm in 2018.

The other 28 guys hit a not-so-grand total of 116 homers. 

Those 116 HRs were in 2,208 games – that works out to a paltry average of 8 HRs for every 150 games.

Fifteen of those guys hit less than 5  - theirs totaled 33 in 1,159 games, or 4 per every 150 games.

Only 3 of the 29 OFs (Taijeron, Boyd, and Dirocie) hit more than 10 HRs, and latter 2 of the 3 hit just 11 (those 2, in fairness, did it in limited at bats).

I didn't look back at other major league teams to see how their minors did for HRs by OFs – but I have little doubt the Mets came in dead last.

My theory?

Part of it was a hangover from the deep fences at Citifield days, which only ended in 2014, leading back then to an over-emphasis on contact hitters vs. power hitters. 

Part of it could be they are training guys to make contact, and then encouraging them to swing for the fences more towards the end of their minor league careers.  Part of it certainly is playing in pitchers’ parks everywhere except Vegas. 

Finally, and very importantly, there has been a lot of STUPID METS DRAFTING THAT UNDERVALUES POWER BATS.

In that vein, my 9 part draft analysis, spanning the Mets’ drafts of 2008-17, starts on Friday.  Please read those.

Mack's Apples - 11-1-17 - Nori Aoki, Korean Crowd Cheer, Univ. Utah,

Good morning.

Nori Aoki –

The Mets released outfielder Nori Aoki on Monday, saving the team around $6.3mil if the Mets would have picked up his option.

He hit .284, 5-RBI, 13-SB as a Met in September.

As of 10-31, BP has the current projected Mets team salary, before arbitration and Bobby Bonilla, at  $53mil. Only three players (Yoenes Cespedes: $29mil, David Wright: $15mil, Juan Lagares: $9mil) are under non-arbitration or team controlled pre-arbitration agreements.

The numbers don’t lie. This is a team in a rebuilding mold.

My guess is the Mets will go to camp with a starting outfield of Cespedes, Brandon Nimmo, and Lagares. Michael Conforto will continue to heal, so two positions are now open. Travis Taijeron is gone so your options are:

1.     Bring back Aoki with a smaller 1-year contract

2.     Fill one or two slots with secondary free agents

3.     Take some of the money on the shelves ad sign a chip like Jay Bruce.

 Korean Cheer Culture –

Drumbeats roar and electric music plays as people dressed in uniforms swing to the rhythm together. At first, it may seem like a rock concert, but this is actually what a South Korean baseball game is all about.

South Korean baseball's "cheer culture" is in many ways just as important as the game itself. Fans wear team uniforms and hit balloon sticks together to make some noise as cheerleaders dressed in shorts and tank tops show off their dance moves. In South Korea, cheerleaders are responsible for leading the crowd in between every inning, not just during halftime, like in basketball or football games.

You will never find more fun at a baseball game than in Korean cities… not even Houston!

University of Utah recommends suspension for baseball coach -

           

The University of Utah has self-reported a violation to the NCAA involving the baseball program and recommended a multi-game suspension for 15-year coach Bill Kinneberg.

Athletic director Chris Hill disclosed Monday that the school had reported the violation though he didn't give details. Utah is awaiting a response from the NCAA.

            We’ll follow this story for details.

            Venezuela's Baseball League Is Struggling Amid Country's Deep Economic Crisis -

          

Tickets cost less than a dollar, but many Venezuelans must now spend that money on food. Others stay home because they fear getting mugged as they leave ballparks late at night. League attendance has dropped by about half. Things are so bad that there was talk of canceling the season until the Venezuelan government stepped in with $10 million to underwrite the league. Juan Gutierrez, a relief pitcher for the Lions, says he can tell something's wrong simply by looking at the bleachers.

Orioles-Nationals dispute cancels Naval Academy Baseball Classic -

          

Athletic director Chet Gladchuk confirmed on Tuesday that a territorial dispute between the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals has brought a premature end to the Naval Academy Baseball Classic.

Gladchuk said the Nationals will not play exhibition games at Max Bishop Stadium on the Naval Academy campus as scheduled in 2018 and 2019.

This is one of the more stupid stories I have ever posted. Don’t miss this doozy. 

Tom Brennan - HOUSTON WAS SMART

Tom Brennan - HOUSTON WAS SMART....

Smart franchises know how to win...and how to lose.

Houston's rocketing Astros have built a great team, some of it with luck.  But some of it with SMART.

For instance, in the LUCK DEPT., signing Jose Altuve at age 16 as an international signing had some luck, for sure - now still only  5'6", you need some luck with short guys...when the Mets sign short-shorties like 5'7" Branden Kaupe, they play like short people usually do - extremely badly - not like the best player on the planet, short or tall in Jose Altuve.

But the foundation was laid by years of the Astros being dreadful.  Losing like mad.  But there was a method to the madness...it led to great, early draft picks:

2011 - #11 overall George Springer - Brandon Nimmo was picked by the Mets a mere 2 picks later...I guess the dumb Mets should have been more devoted to losing some more games that season so they could have drafted George Springer, one of Houston's foundation pieces, instead.

2012 - the 'Stros totally cratered, and got rewarded with the first overall pick....a guy named Carlos Friggin' Correa (ok, that's not his middle name, I just wish we had him).  Another foundation piece acquired.

2013 - #1 overall - Mark Appel - seemed like a smart pick at the time, but turned out to be a bad pick, as pitchers often do.

2014 - #1 overall - Brady Aiken - the Brady Bunch knucklehead does not sign with Houston, goes #1 again in 2015, but this time to Cleveland - and so far he sucks, too - he turned out to be a bad pick, as pitchers often do.  Oh wait, I just said that before.

2015 - #2 overall is Alex Bregman, an already great player who got the game winning hit in the great game 5 win on Sunday.  Another foundation piece.

Foundation pieces can be, well, foundational, agreed?

Meanwhile, in Flushing in 2017, brain dead "manager" Terry Collins played his 3 hot remaining vets (Reyes, Aoki, Cabrera) incessantly and obsessively, and thereby slipped to the 6th draft spot in 2018, just barely avoiding plunging to the 8th spot on the season's final day.  His stupidity nearly veered into gross stupidity.  Fortunately, his gnarly fingers have been pried off of the steering wheel.

Without his idiotic fixation on winning meaningless late season games, maybe the Mets could have ended up with the 3rd or 4th pick instead.  

That difference of a few draft slots (3rd or 4th rather than 6th) could well turn out to be the difference between getting a foundation piece...or the next Brandon Nimmo.

The Astros are smart...the Mets are ______________.

You fill in the blank.  I know Macks Mets readers are plenty smart enough.

Anyway, I have a 9 part series on Mets drafts starting on Friday...may you read them and be illuminated.



P.S. Going into game 7, it feels reminiscent of the underdog Mets in 1973.  Mets also led the series 3-2, and were hopeful in game 6, until Reggie Jackson bested Tom Seaver, then the Mets folded in game 7.

10/31/2017 Winter League Results | Regnault and Pobereyko Continue AZL Domination, Medina Deactivated, Mejia Signs with Magallanes, Baldonado & Becerra Added to Tigres Roster

Arizona Fall League
- Salt River Rafters 8 - 2 Mesa Solar Sox
- Peoria Javelinas 9 - 2 Surprise Saguaros
- Glendale Desert Dogs 2 - 6 Scottsdale Scorpions

• LF Kevin Kaczmarski: 1 for 4, R, RBI(7), 2 K
• LHP Kyle Regnault: 1.0 IP, 3 K
• RHP Matt Pobereyko: 1.0 IP, 1 K

Mexican Pacific League

- Charros de Jalisco 2 - 6 Naranjeros de Hermosillo

- Yaquis de Obregon 4 - 2Mayos de Navojoa
- Tomateros de Culiacan 0 - 2 Venados de Mazatlan
- Caneros de los Mochis 5 - 2 Aguilas de Mexicali 

• C Xorge Carrillo: 1 for 3, 2 K

Side Note: LHP Jose Carlos Medina has been deactivated from the Tomateros roster. [Something tells me this is a result of his usage a few days ago.]

Venezuelan Winter League

- Aguilas del Zulia 1 - 4 Cardenales de Lara

- Caribes de Anzoategui 12 - 3 Leones del Caracas
- Tiburones de La Guaira 12 - 6 Navegantes del Magallanes

• RHP Darwin Ramos: 0.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Side Note: RHP Jenrry Mejia has been added to the Navengantes roster.
Side Note #2: LHP Alberto Baldonado has been added to the Tigres roster.
Side Note #3: OF Wuilmer Becerra has been added to the Tigres roster.

Dominican Winter League

- Gigantes del Cibao 5 - 1 Tigres del Licey
- Leones del Escogido 4 - 1 Estrellas Orientales

• 2B Gustavo Nunez: 1 for 4

- Toros del Este 2 - 5 Aguilas Cibaenas

• RF John Mora: Defensive Replacement

Roberto Clemente Puerto Rican League

Side Note: Regular Season will start January 8th, 2018.

Reese Kaplan -- All Star Level Production From a Position Regarded as a Weakness

Going into the 2018 season there are a great many holes to fill.  The defense is porous.  The starting rotation is still limping along.  The bullpen is unsettled.  There’s no speed other than Amed Rosario guaranteed a role on the team.  David Wright is still hampering the Mets from moving forward by threatening to play again. 

One surprising area for the Mets going into the new season is one that resulted in a .243 batting average (not great, for sure), but delivered an impressive 27 HRs and 93 RBIs to go along with 30 doubles and a pair of triples.

What?  You didn’t notice anyone posting that kind of production?

Well, apparently you were too busy bashing the Mets catchers to notice how much they contributed to the offense.  Those numbers cited above are the aggregate of Travis d’Arnaud, Rene Rivera and Kevin Plawecki. 

Now ask yourself a question…would an upgrade at this position be significantly better and be a good expenditure of frustratingly limited salary dollars?  I sure don’t think so.  Granted, neither Travis d’Arnaud nor Kevin Plawecki are going to make anyone forget the defense of Charlie O’Brien, but in this case (like Mike Piazza before them) perhaps the offense is enough to compensate for lackluster defense. 

Another Mets blog recently included in an assessment of the Mets catching situation that it was time to declare the Travis d’Arnaud experiment as over.  They cited his fragility and lack of production as the justification for this conclusion. 

Did I miss something?  It seems to me that d’Arnaud was a veritable ironman this past season (by d’Arnaud standards anyway).  He missed three weeks in May when he developed a bone bruise having hit the bat with his arm on a throw to second.  After trying to play through it, he eventually went on the DL and likely spent some time adjusting to the pain upon his return.  Despite this injury, he still hit 16 HRs and drove in 57 in 336 ABs.  Extrapolated over a full season on his own that would be All-Star level of production for a catcher.  A year ago he hit only 4 HRs and drove in 15 over 252 ABs.  How about some kudos for a major step forward?  Baseballreference.com suggests over a 162 game season d’Arnaud would deliver .245/19/66.  Wouldn’t you sign up for that right now?

Now that Rene Rivera is no longer a part of the equation, we are left with Kevin Plawecki who, after a few years of sinus problems finally showed the kind of offense in AAA that had been expected of him.  He finished the year in Las Vegas with a .328 AVG over 247 ABs with 9 HRs and 45 RBIs.  Extrapolated over a full season that’s a 20 HR/100 RBI type of season.  When he came up to the Mets at the end of the season he looked like a totally different hitter.  For sure, the numbers dipped adjusting both to the environment outside of Las Vegas and the MLB caliber pitching, but he hit .260 and didn’t seem overmatched at all.

Going into 2018 I am fully confident that the Mets have a catching tandem that would rank offensively among the game’s best.  As points of comparison Salvador Perez of the Royals delivered 27/80, Gary Sanchez of the Yankees provided 33/90, Buster Posey was 12/67 and old man Yadier Molina contributed 18/82.  Again, the Mets got 27/93.  I think they’ll be just fine.