New York Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki is hoping that offseason surgery to clear out his sinus will put an end to the constant headaches and dizziness he suffered from for a large chunk of the 2015 season.
“My right sinus was completely blocked, so I wasn’t getting any air flow through there,” Plawecki told Anthony McCarron of the Daily News.
“It was almost like a drunk feeling without having anything to drink, that’s the best description. Makes you very uneasy. It’s scary, really, too, because you can’t pinpoint why.”
Plawecki, 25, underwent the procedure in December, and while the team was impressed with what they saw during his rookie campaign, the young backstop knows he needs to improve on his .219 average and the .576 OPS he posted in 74 games last season.
“I was pleased with the way it turned out last year, defensively,” Plawecki said. “Offensively, I want to do better. I’m not going to put it on the way I was feeling, but that didn’t help. I learned a lot along the way with Kevin Long [Mets’ hitting coach] and we worked on my swing, trying to use my legs more.”
The Mets have an expanded role for Plawecki this year and it will begin in Spring Training where GM Sandy Alderson expects him to see some time at first base and perhaps a few reps in the outfield as well.
Wilmer Flores is also expected to see extensive time at first base this Spring, as the Mets look for an ideal right-handed hitting option to complement Lucas Duda against tough left-handed pitchers.
Of course, Plawecki’s chief role will be to backup starting catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who has had his own problems with injuries and staying healthy. Now that Plawecki is feeling great and no longer dealing with the issues that hampered his rookie campaign, maybe we’ll see that highly regarded bat that produced a .291/.364/.432 slash in over 300 minor league games.
