On Tuesday, look for Mets catching prospect Kevin Plawecki to make his MLB debut as he takes over for the injured Travis d’Arnaud who suffered a broken hand on Sunday against the Marlins.
Here are six things you should know about the former Purdue All American.
1. Plawecki has a short compact swing and impresses scouts with his ability to make excellent contact using keen eyesight, extremely quick hands, and spraying the ball to all fields. “He doesn’t try to do too much up there,” a scout told me last September. “He knows what he’s doing up there and isn’t easily fooled.”
2. Plawecki doesn’t pack prodigious power, but his gap power will play well in the major leagues and he will feast on pitches touching the inside part of the plate. He’s a 15 homer guy who could easily have 40 doubles a year.
3. In an exclusive interview with MMO’s John Bernhardt this offseason, GM Sandy Alderson told us that Plawecki is essentially major league ready. “I think Plawecki is close and of such high quality.”
Additionally, Alderson told reporters on Sunday: “We’ve got all the confidence in the world that Kevin will do a nice job for us. He’s swinging the bat well now. He did a nice job for us in spring training.”
4. Vice president of player development, Paul DePodesta loves what Plawecki brings to the Mets.
“Plawecki spent the first half of last year in Double-A and didn’t really miss a beat, then went up to Triple-A and continued to perform very well. For a guy that was drafted just in 2012, we’re extremely pleased with how quickly he’s made it through the system.”
“He’s continued to make progress offensively and defensively. Offensively, we’re starting to see some of the power that we always believed was there. Defensively, he’s a strong receiver and his throwing is starting to get better.”
5. Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com said that Plawecki has been on a fast track ever since the Mets took him with the 35th overall pick of the 2012 Draft. He has excelled at two levels in each of the last two years, playing in the 2014 Futures Game and finishing with strong showing in Triple-A. “Throughout his climb up the Mets’ ladder, Plawecki has shown a penchant for making consistent contact. He rarely strikes out and has hit for average at every stop, with a career .295 average entering the 2015 season.”
6. Prospect expert Jim Callis – who has agreed to an exclusive interview with MMO – said this Spring that “Plawecki could conceivably push d’Arnaud for the starting job in the second half of 2015.” He added that while Plawecki doesn’t have a standout tool, he also doesn’t have a weakness. “He makes repeated contact with gap power and is an efficient thrower and receiver.”
I’m excited to see what he can do at this level. We’ll end this with a quote from manager Terry Collins who said, “He’s going to play. Can he handle it here? We will most likely find out.”
