In recent years, given the choice between Kevin Plawecki and Travis d’Arnaud behind the plate, there hasn’t exactly been a clear cut better option. Just a year ago we were wondering if it may just be in the Mets best interest to sign a free agent catcher like Matt Wieters. And if you look at their numbers from last season, Plawecki by far had the better OBP at .364. Yet somehow they both just felt like two sides of the same coin.
Since Spring Training has kicked off, however, Plawecki has been one of the standout players on that roster, fueling the possibility that he may have what it takes to potentially steal that starting job away from d’Arnaud. And according to Tim Healey of Newsday, it’s definitely an idea that Callaway has been toying with.
Plawecki’s slash line for the spring thus far sits at .381/.458/.619. Here’s a fun comparison: As it stands right now, his OPS (1.077) is higher than what Aaron Judge (1.049) was able to put up last season. If Plawecki can carry this performance into the regular season, the Mets will have a power hitting catcher once again. Something they haven’t seen since the days of Mike Piazza.
Travis d’Arnaud, however, is certainly not going down without a fight. He’s put up his own impressive numbers this Spring as well. d’Arnaud’s line thus far is .316/.408/.526 with a just as impressive OPS of 1.007. (Not higher than Aaron Judge, but hey, I’ll still take it.)
Defensively, you could argue that Plawecki is better behind the plate. However there still too much of a difference between the number of games they each started last season to compare. In 2017 Plawecki only started a much smaller sample size of 24 games behind the plate as opposed to d’Arnaud’s 88.
Here’s to hoping that regardless of who gets those regular starts, both of these guys can keep up that offensive consistency. The Mets could always use a little extra offense in that lineup, and it’s promising to see it from players already within the organization. These next two weeks will be huge for both catchers. My money is on Plawecki making that final push to cement his role as the everyday starter. Bet you never thought you’d read those words now did you?
