Adam Rubin of ESPN reports that Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud is nearing his first game action since April 25. He has been on the disabled list with a right rotator cuff strain, and could finally begin a rehab assignment this weekend, putting him in line for a return next week.
Yesterday, Matt Harvey may have turned his whole season around. His velocity, command, and swagger were back. Much of it had to do with the Mets finally spotting his mechanical flaw and fixing it. Another factor could have been the yesterday’s catcher Rene Rivera, who caught Matt Harvey for the first time this season.
When Harvey got into some trouble in the seventh inning against the White Sox, it was Rivera who kept him on his game and focused on throwing strikes.
“I went to the mound a couple of times, to remind him just to get back to the focus he had and what he’s been doing, and he did it. I want to give him the confidence back. I let him know he’s been throwing good. That’s my game.” (NY Post)
Rivera is a veteran journeyman catcher. He’s a solid receiver that calls a good game and is adept at both pitch framing and throwing out base stealers. He has a cannon for an arm, throwing out 34.4% of would-be base stealers, which is second only to Yadier Molina among active catchers with 250+ stolen base attempts. From behind the plate, Rivera controls the game and is a calm and steady presence back there.
And it’s not just the rotation that is aided by Rivera. After back to back poor outings by Jeurys Familia, Rivera earned his respect on Monday as the Mets closer earned his 17th save.
“That kind of confidence helps everybody — every pitcher,” Familia said.
This is what a young pitching staff needs more than anything. It’s what Gary Carter did for the ’86 Mets. It’s what Rivera did for the Rays.
With the Rays, Rivera had been part of the development of their young pitchers, specifically Chris Archer. With Rivera behind the plate, Archer limited batters to a 93 OPS+. With all the other catchers, who have caught him, batters have a 100 OPS+ against Archer. The young Archer was just a better pitcher with the veteran behind the plate.
We’re seeing it again with Rivera and Noah Syndergaard. In the limited time they’ve worked together, Syndergaard has limited batters to an 87 OPS+. In the four games, they have been combined, Syndergaard has a 1.54 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. Part of that is Rivera controlling the game behind the plate. Part of that is Rivera controlling the running game allowing Syndergaard to just focus on the batter.
The results with Archer and Syndergaard show Rivera’s value. We may have seen it again with Harvey yesterday. Seeing how Rivera handles a young staff, it’s hard to justify not playing him everyday until d’Arnaud returns – and sticking around as his backup whenever that day comes
You could point to his paltry offense as a reason against having Rivera in the lineup. He’s a career .209/.258/.329 hitter and he’s hitting even worse with the Mets in a tiny sample size. But it’s not like Kevin Plawecki has been more impressive at the plate.
For the second straight year, Plawecki has struggled in d’Arnaud’s absence. He’s hitting .196/.292/.272 with a 57 OPS+. He’s actually worse than he was last year when he had the excuse of getting called to the majors too soon and experiencing dizzy spells during games. Right now, Plawecki is showing the Mets that he still needs time in the minor leagues.
Given the comparable OPS+ figures, Rivera and Plawecki are effectively the same person at the plate. With that said, the Mets should play the catcher who is better at handling a pitching staff and controlling the running game. There is no doubt that is Rene Rivera. It’s time for the Mets to make Rivera the everyday catcher until Travis d’Arnaud returns.
