After a stretch where Kevin Plawecki hit .167/.348/.167, Terry Collins couldn’t bite his tongue anymore. Collins took the rare step of calling out one of his players publicly when he said, “I don’t mean to put a lot of pressure on him, but he’s got to start getting some hits. We all thought he was going to be a good offensive player. We need him to start getting hits.” (NY Post)
It was a bold move from Collins, attempting to motivate a player who has mostly underwhelmed since making the team out of Spring Training.
Plawecki has certainly gotten the message and has upped his game since his manager went public. In the five games since Collins’ statement, Plawecki is hitting .333/.368/.667 with three doubles and a homer.
And he’s not just making contact, he’s also hitting the ball with much more authority. He’s finally showing why the Mets selected him in the first round of the 2012 draft. He’s finally showing glimpses of the .290/.364/.432 hitter he was in the minor leagues.
Now, to say this new and improved Plawecki is a direct result of Collins’ prodding, would be a bit much. Plawecki has been working with Kevin Long, who is proving to be a terrific hitting coach. Additionally, he’s been in the majors for nearly a year now, had the offseason sinus surgery which negatively impacted his performance last season, and he’s in a much better lineup these days.
In any event, something seems to have clicked with Plawecki and it’s important because the Mets don’t know when Travis d’Arnaud will come back, or how he will play upon his return. The Mets need Plawecki to step-up in d’Arnaud’s absence and so far it looks like he’s doing just that.
