MMO Exclusive: Mets Prospect Patrick Mazeika

The Mets took Patrick Mazeika in the eighth round of the 2015 draft out of Stetson. The left-handed hitting catcher had an OPS of at least .900 and walked more than he struck in all three seasons at the Florida college.

Mazeika was impressive with the bat in his pro debut, slashing .354/.451/.540 with 27 doubles, five home runs, and 48 RBIs in 62 games with Rookie Level Kingsport Mets.

His first full season in 2016 was strong with the bat as well, hitting .305/.414/.402. Mazeika walked 38 times and had 39 strikeouts in 70 games for the Class-A Columbia Fireflies.

In 2017, Mazeika would play a career-high 106 games between Advanced-A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton. He hit .290/.389/.416 with 26 doubles, five home runs, and 55 RBIs.

The next season was a struggle offensively for the Massachusetts native, he had just a .691 OPS in 87 games for Binghamton. He did start to show significant improvements behind the plate in blocking and framing.

Mazeika was back in Binghamton for the 2019 season, and he again struggled at the plate with a .738 OPS. He did have a career-high 16 home runs and 69 RBIs in 116 games. He did continue to improvement defensively behind the plate while also playing 53 games at first base.

Patrick was sent to the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .174/.208/.239 in 12 games. Mazeika did take another step defensively, that included throwing out 40% of would-be basestealers.

I recently had the chance to talk to Patrick about his improvements as well as how he preps for opponents.

MMO – You had the best power season of your career, what can you attribute that to?

Patrick Mazeika – I made some offseason swing changes to try to put myself in a better position to use my body. In the past I wasn’t as balanced as I wanted and it hurt my power production. It’s taken a bit of time get clicking in the game. I’ve also been working with our hitting coach Tony Jaramillo to get the most of my swing.

MMO – Where do you feel your defense is at compared to a few years ago? It looks like you’ve made some significant progress.

Mazeika – I’m as confident defensively as I’ve ever been. Being with Tomas Nido in 2018 was an awesome learning experience defensively. I’ve made huge progress each year and I’m happy with the results. Our catching coordinator Bob Natal has really me understand what the best catchers do and how I can apply that into my catching game.

MMO – How do you prep for each series/game with the pitchers?

Mazeika – Personally, I go through their roster and take a look at their position players and what type of hitter they are. Walks, strikeouts, extra base hits are some of the things I look at first. Then I”l use the information we have to look at their hot and cold zones and what pitches they handle well. Then it’s just matching up with the situations and what each pitchers strengths are.

MMO – How was your time in Binghamton different at all this year?

Mazeika – Overall, it wasn’t too much different. We have a lot more information available to us than we’ve had in the past. That was the biggest thing. Also, I played some first base to get into the lineup, so that was different for me. It was fun with the mix of guys we had.

MMO – What information specifically?

Mazeika – More advanced reports and detailed data that we could look at. Basically defensive alignments, opposing hitters, and pitchers.

MMO – Framing has become an important part of how front offices evaluate catchers, is that something you work and does the organization make those numbers available?

Mazeika – Yes, receiving numbers are probably the most important thing in catching analytics. It’s something I have spent the last few years improving and yes, they do have all the numbers for us.

MMO – How are you able to juggle needing to focus on pitching to lineups and gameplans with going out there and playing first base every once in a while?

Mazeika – I think a big part of that is building relationships with your pitchers. Catching their bullpens even if I’m playing first base and really knowing them makes the rest easy. We know our pitchers strengths and that’s key. I still get to watch the hitters from first base and Ali Sanchez and I communicate about what we see or what may have worked with certain hitters.

MMO – Have you noticed (or do the pitchers talk about it) any significant changes with the pitch clock?

Mazeika – The pitch clock is rarely ever a factor. I think from high a through now I’ve seen 5 violations. The only situation that can cause issues is nobody on base and the pitcher shakes off a few times. The pitcher can’t just step off or call time in that situation. Otherwise the pitch clock goes pretty unnoticed for me.

MMO – What were you focusing on in the Arizona Fall League?

Mazeika – I had two main things to focus on in the AFL. I wanted to continue to improve my receiving behind the plate. I also wanted to get my swing back to where it was at the best points in my career. Joel Chimelis and I built a great relationship out there. Although the results didn’t translate right away the last few games were promising heading the offseason.

MMO – What are your thoughts on new Mets manager Luis Rojas?

Mazeika – I’m really excited for him. He’s a great baseball mind with the ability to bring the together a clubhouse. Guys love playing for him and I think it will really show on the field this year.

MMO – What was it like to be in big league camp last year with the opportunity to catch Cy Young winner and fellow Stetson player, Jacob deGrom? Have you gotten the chance to talk to Mitchell Senger (Mets 2019 draft pick)?

Mazeika – I’ve talked with Jacob a little about our time at Stetson. We both enjoyed our experience there although, he may have wanted to be a shortstop, I think everything worked out just fine. Also, I knew Mitchell a bit during his time at Stetson. He had dominant year his sophomore season. I’m confident he will get back to that pitcher soon. His potential is extremely high with his size and stuff.

MMO – What’s the toughest pitch (outside of Jannis’ knuckleballs) you’ve had to catch?

Mazeika – Nothing even compares to the knuckleball, but I’d say David Peterson‘s slider.

MMO – What are your goals going into the 2020 season?

Mazeika – My goals are to continue to show I’m a big league catcher and get back to the hitter I was early in my career. I’d like to continue to drive the ball while honing in on pitch selection.

MMO – Thanks for your time!

You can follow Patrick on Twitter at @pattayymaz10