According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Noah Syndergaard returned from the injured list with a request to have Tomas Nido as his personal catcher, which was soon approved by the Mets’ front office.
“With what we’re trying to do with Syndergaard, keeping the ball down, [Nido] is a good complementary catcher for him,” the Mets’ skipper, Mickey Callaway commented. “He receives the ball down better, so it’s something we have to continue to do.”
This isn’t a big surprise, as Nido has essentially been dubbed as Jacob deGrom’s go-to guy as well. The team was on the record against letting deGrom use Nido as his personal catcher back in April, Callaway reasoned that: “In the playoffs, we’d be running a sticky situation.” By May, this reasoning was seemingly thrown out the window as deGrom has only pitched to starter Wilson Ramos four times in his last 12 starts since May 1.
While the pitchers’ battery preference is one aspect of the decision, the numbers this season certainly back up the pair’s uncertainty with pitching to Ramos.
In 59 innings pitched with Nido behind the plate, deGrom has posted a 1.83 ERA, allowing opponents to hit for a .563 OPS. In 40 innings pitched with Ramos behind the plate, deGrom has a 4.50 ERA, with opponents hitting for a .707 OPS.
For Thor, the contrast in the numbers look strikingly similar. In 19 2/3 innings pitched with Nido behind the plate, Syndergaard has posted a 2.29 ERA with opponents hitting for a .550 OPS. With Ramos behind the plate, Syndergaard has posted a 4.69 ERA and has allowed opponents to hit for a .701 OPS.
It seems that the Mets’ front end of the rotation is struggling to adjust to a situation where Ramos is catching.
The “Buffalo” has put up decent offensive numbers compared to his backup. He is currently slashing .271/.346/.413 with nine homers and a 0.8 bWAR. Nido hasn’t been as productive at the plate this season-currently hitting .244/.263/.372 with a 0.1 bWAR- but the .124 difference in their OPS isn’t the most defining distinction between the pair- especially at the catching position.
The significant contrast between the two lies within the catchers’ defense. Ramos has faced immense struggles behind the plate with the Mets, allowing nine passed balls to enter play- which leads the National League. Mets’ pitchers have been charged for 17 wild pitches when running out a battery featuring the 31-year-old. Nido has not allowed a passed ball this season.
Ramos told the media that there are no hard feelings about the reduction in playing time and the decisions from Syndergaard and deGrom.
“I feel weird but I have to respect it…” he said. “Sometimes that happens. I have seen that in my career a lot, but like I say I’m not making the lineup. I try to do my best job behind the plate, I try to protect my pitcher as best I can and if they don’t feel comfortable with me, I have nothing more to do.”
The veteran respects Nido, his work ethic, and the idea that he will no longer be a backup- but his counterpart.
“Nido has been doing a really good job, too – I like how he works behind the plate – so nothing to do but support him,” he said. “I know he supports me when he is behind the plate and I like that.”
The idea that the Mets’ one and two pitchers haven’t been able to settle into the groove of pitching to Ramos is troubling, considering the two-year, $19-million-dollar contract the catcher signed with the club during the offseason. Unfortunately for the Amazin’s, it’s continuing to look like another one of first-year General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen’s offseason acquisitions is not exactly panning out the way he had anticipated.
