On Friday, Kevin Kernan of the New York Post wrote of high praise for Travis d’Arnaud coming from some of his former coaches.
D’Arnaud is a former farmhand of the Philadelphia Phillies who originally drafted him. He was the center piece in the deal that sent Roy Halladay from Toronto to the Phillies, and his stature as an elite catching prospect is widely known around baseball.
During his time with the Phillies, d’Arnaud was given high praise for his ability and his future potential as a rising star .
Here are some quotes from Mike Compton, who was the Phillies’ minor league catching and field coordinator.
“I was with Johnny Bench when he was a young fella,’’ said Compton, the Phillies field coordinator, “and Travis, when he’s off on another field and you look over; physically, he walks and looks a lot like Johnny. His shoulders hang like John’s; he’s got big hands like John, and the mannerisms. He’s got a lot of tools and he is such a gifted hitter.’’
Here is what Roly de Armas had to say, who was the first manager to coach d’Arnaud after being drafted.
“Travis is one of my tops of all time,’’ said de Armas, who will manage the Gulf Coast Phillies again this season, his 28th year as a minor league manager. “I’ve been in the game for 40 years. It was a blessing to coach Travis. He is the same kid now as when he walked into here as a 17-year old. Of course, he’s grown up, but he has the same personality, the same love for the game. That doesn’t always happen, sometimes they change. Travis always came to the ballpark ready to work. The Mets got themselves a good one.’’
This is an excellent piece on the young phenom. It gives a nice background into what the Mets promising young catcher was like during his early days as a pro, and what the scouts and coaches saw in him at the time. To read the full piece by Kernan click here.
