Matt Cerrone over at MetsBlog posted a great interview clip from last night’s edition of Mets Hot Stove on SNY with host Kevin Burkhardt.
He talked about the defensive part of his game and regarding throwing runners out attempting to steal he said,
“Trust. I just trusted myself. I felt like I knew I could do it, and that’s what I needed. Obviously, I needed to refine my tools, but I also needed to know I was going to come in and catch well, not, ‘I hope I block this ball, I hope I throw him out.’ I told myself, I’m gonna throw this guy out. So, my mindset kind of changed more than anything.”
It’s hard to believe that Thole will only be entering his third full season as catcher, a position that is still relatively new to him. At times last season, he looked as savvy behind the dish as Rod Barajas who he eventually replaced.
This season, Thole will be getting the majority of the playing time in a platoon with newly signed catcher Ronny Paulino.
I expect Thole to be a significant part of the offense this season, and eventually he could prove to be a solid number two hitter as he continues to work on the offensive side of his game.
