There are a number of ways to analyze Travis d’Arnaud‘s shoulder problems. It can be used as another example of the narrative that he’s injury prone. It could be used to explain his poor start at the plate. It could be used to explain why the Reds were five-for-five in stolen base attempts on Monday.
It can also be seen as another opportunity for Kevin Plawecki.
Plawecki had that chance last year, but he couldn’t take advantage. He hit .219/.280/.296 with three homers and 21 RBI. His OPS+ was 63, and his wRC+ was 60. It was about as ugly an offensive year as you could’ve had. To put it in perspective, Eric Campbell had a higher OPS+ and wRC+.
Now, there were valid reasons for his struggles. First, he had no protection in that lineup. The aforementioned Campbell was at one time a middle of the order bat. Second, he might not have been ready. He had played less than one season’s worth of games in Triple-A. Finally, he had some health issues of his own, suffering from dizziness at various times of the season. He had offseason sinus surgery to help alleviate the symptoms.
Whatever the reason, he struggled mightily. He was once seen as someone who could push d’Arnaud for playing time last year. Instead, his rookie season showed that d’Arnaud was clearly the better player. The Mets could’ve opted to start Plawecki in AAA this year to help his development, but ultimately the team decided it was better to have him as a backup catcher.
Now, depending on the severity of d’Arnaud’s shoulder, Plawecki is going to get a second chance to show the Mets he can be the team’s primary catcher. He can show them he can be the .290/.364/.432 hitter he was in the minors. He has an opportunity to show his poor 2015 offensive numbers were driven by a low .277 BABIP. He can show the team he’s every bit the pitch framer that Travis d’Arnaud is. He can also show the Mets that he’s more durable.
Plawecki can show he’s now fully healthy and that he’s come into his own and is ready to show the Mets the potent bat that made him a first round pick in 2012 out of Purdue. He is getting that all too valuable second chance to show the Mets he can be every bit the player they thought he was and more. It looks like opportunity is knocking again for Plawecki – and with a much better lineup, no more dizzy spells, and some major league time under his belt – here’s his big chance to deliver and impress. Hopefully, he takes full advantage of it.
