11
2013
Prospect Pulse: Analyzing Mets Catching Prospect Kevin Plawecki
An article by 
Kevin Plawecki, C
Bats: R Throws: R
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 205 lb.
Position: Catcher
Age: 22
ETA: 2015
MMO Top Prospect Rank: #19
Background:
Here is a brief player profile from the recent 2013 MMO Top 25 Prospect series:
The 35th pick in the 2012 draft, Kevin Plawecki, was selected with one of the comp picks we received for losing Jose Reyes. The main criticism about the pick was not so much a knock on Plawecki, but rather that the Mets made a big reach taking him with the 35th pick when he could have been around in the third. One of the things that scouts keyed in on was that he had a long swing and it cut some of his power away, but he made strides to fix that in his first pro season since coming out of Purdue. Down in Brooklyn, Plawecki put up a .250 average with a 1:1 BB/K rate (25:24). The NYPL is a pitching dominant league, so try not to get too down on the .250 average, especially when he accompanied it with seven homers and eight doubles in just 216 at-bats.
Plawecki is not a defensive wizard, as he gets by with a below average arm, but he is an intelligent baseball player. Intelligence at the catcher position is key, and he was known for calling his own games when he played at Purdue. Also, considering the fact that he was drafted as a junior in college, it puts him on somewhat of a fast track to the major leagues. His 2013 season will be key in determining what kind of player he will really turn out to be, as he makes the same jump as Hansel Robles to Savannah and potentially St. Lucie.
The biggest issue I have come across in scouting reports was the fact that almost everyone is in consensus that Plawecki should have been a third or fourth round pick. However, that is simply semantics. If you think a guy can help your organization, then why run the risk of someone else taking him?
At the time of the pick, the Mets had little catcher depth in their system, and Plawecki is the type of guy that will be able to move through the system very quickly, and hopefully help the Mets in the near future. While we can label a player a reach because we think that he should have been selected later, there is really no telling what the other teams will do, so when you have a chance to take your guy, you take him. The San Francisco Giants did something very similar in 2011 when they drafted shortstop Joe Panik. When evaluating draft picks it’s not always a matter of who has the better ability, but who has the ability to help the big league club as fast as possible. Plawecki is that type of a guy.
Analysis:
Plawecki is a guy that makes excellent contact. Through his college career, he had a very low strike out rate, and as stated earlier, had a 1:1 K/BB ratio at Brooklyn last season. I have read a couple of scouting reports that have noted his swing was a little long, but his swing is actually very compact, and he gets his hands through the hitting zone very quickly when he keeps them close to his body. If his hands get away from him, he could have trouble with pitchers with better fastballs. He starts with his hands high, has a nice load, and then gets his hands in a nice hitting position. I noticed that on a couple of the pitches he took, he didn’t keep his weight back, and transferred his weight early to the front leg. This can make him susceptible to off-speed pitches as he progresses to the higher levels of the organization.
He has a very level swing, which will lead to a ton of line drives, but it does not generate a ton of backspin on the ball when contact is made, which is why he won’t be a big home run threat. However, he does have solid to gap-to-gap power. Think of Daniel Murphy, but with a little more pop. I would project him to hit 10-15 home runs at the big league level at this point.
Everyone has been completely enthralled with the addition to Travis d’Arnaud, but Plawecki is a guy that fans should keep an eye on over the next couple of years. With questions of d’Arnaud’s durability arising, Plawecki is definitely a guy that could find himself behind the plate at Citi Field within the next couple of years.
To read previous editions of this feature, go to our MMO Prospect Pulse Archives.
Follow MMO Minor League Analyst Mitch Petanick on Twitter at @FirstPitchMitch for even more Mets Minor League and prospect coverage.
About the Author: Mitch Petanick
Mitch is currently an Editor and Minor League Analyst for Mets Merized Online. His baseball experience includes being a former All-Conference collegiate baseball player who had numerous professional tryouts, and he is currently a hitting instructor. He has been involved with the game of baseball for over 30 years now as a player, coach, and consultant. Mitch is also a former Featured Columnist on Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @FirstPitchMitch.
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nice summary. I liked the pick at the time (for the player, not getting into the round). He does seem to have a future.
even if TDA works out and stays at catcher, there will be the need for a solid 2nd guy to pair with him. and if they both really click, can always be trade bait.
Of course, at some point TDA could shift off of catcher, but that is hopefully pretty far down the line.
Oh I wouldn’t be upset at all if Pweck becomes a very solid catcher. Having two could only benefit you. You could always use TDA to give Ike a day off at 1B down the line but as said that’s way down the line.
You have a better chance of taking over for Alderson after he is fired in 2 years. There are going to be a ton of jokes made over this selection. This is the end result of Jose Reyes going free agent.
“You can’t make it up” as Joe Benigno says….
I’ve always seen Plawecki as an organizational guy, very much in line with “philosophy.” Good plate discipline, smart, coachable, yada yada … as such he represents a sort of litmus for Alderson & Co., and I’m not sure that’s fair to the kid. The article very correctly ascribes his purpose more than any other as organizational depth. Is depth at the catcher’s position worth a 35th overall pick? His ceiling may end up being D’Arnaud’s back up. Personally I think it was a stretch and I think they placed organizational principles a little too high in making this selection, could be wrong though, esp. since he hasn’t exactly bombed, so it remains to be seen. He certainly is an interesting case.
Maniac, thoughts on this kid?????
I know you said Maniac but I will butt in as always. I think he had a pretty good year last year in his first pro season but he will have to move quickly being that he’s a college kid.
Also, on a side note. Got to see Francisco Pena play last night and even though his bat is still awful his catching mechanics looked great. He’s still only 22 so maybe there’s still time for him.
Thanks for your input… now, again, Maniac, thoughts on this kid?????
LOL, what are your’s Alex? Try to be unbiased.
You only need to look at the FO that drafted him to know what he thinks….garbage just like every other pick in 2011 and 2012.
If this man was not drafted by the Mets, you would be laughing at his selection if it were made by any other NL team. The selection was laughed at on draft day.
Lol… Trust me, you dont wanna know…
Nice work Mitch.
Nice analysis Mitch. I don’t know if you have already touched on this in the past but do you have any thoughts as far as how you view Plawecki compared to some of the following Mets catchers (Tomas Nido, Cam Maron, Blake Forsythe, Francisco Pena, Juan Centeno and Kai Gronauer) in the system?
I’m impressed with the 1:1 K:BB ratio….
Thats very important if you ask me because it shows he has the ability to fight off some pitches when down in the count….And a good eye to make it pay off.
As for what he was projected, once you get out of the 1st round the projections go out the window….
Even to some degree once you get past the top 10 of the draft unless a guy expected to go top 10 falls below that the guys that are usually there are seperated by miniscule differences and thier bust/Not more likely will depend on if you have room to use him when the time comes he is ready….
Which is Why I always get into with folks who say you don’t draft based on current needs….
Well you do if your needs have no MiL option to solve them and if your taking players who are that close to each other it is better to take the position your currently weak in than in a position you are strong in (Like we do at SS!)
Also, an eye at the plate tends not to be something you can develop, you either have it or you don’t.
It develops the more you play in the MLB but the problem is you have to have something that keeps you there long enough for it to develop in any notable way in the first place….
You can’t last long in the MLB with just a good eye….
But you can make it even with a bad eye provided you can hit the ball well…
And if you do and stick long enough you can then develop a better eye.
Love the prospect analysis and interviews that MMO brings here.
Keep ‘em coming!
Nice summary and accompanying analysis for those of us that don;t always get the inside pitch!
Lacking depth in minor league system it was good for Mets to draft him despite the semantics, as you stated, over whether he would have been available later on; says who?
I wonder over those that state an opinion as fact when it comes to draft picks w/o knowing, unless you had a crystal ball, if Paw was going to be there.
And this was before acquiring d’Arnaud so catcher cupboard was bare, mainly veterans, other teams castaways, so this kid looks like he could be a good addition, maybe back up catcher or possible starter if d’Arnaud has physical/performance problems.
Great that he know gets to work with the up and coming young arms in system as well as d’Arnaud will also.
Juan Centeno >>> Kevin Pawlecki
Francisco Pena >>> Kevin Pawlecki
Omir Santos >>> Kevin Pawlecki
Plawecki certainly is intriguing. We’ll know a lot more after the 2013 season and what his upside actually is.