New York Mets Catchers One Of Worst Performers Over Last Decade

New York Mets catchers landed on Dave Schoenfield’s list of the 10 worst positions over the last decade.

The New York Mets had a major luxury when they had Mike Piazza behind the plate on a daily basis. It was a luxury the Mets have been unable to replicate since. Finding a Hall of Famer behind the plate isn’t easy, but the Mets have not even received league average performances from their catchers.

Over at ESPN, David Schoenfield compiled a list of positions that have been a problem spot for teams in the past decade. Using Wins Above Average as the baseline, he found the 10 worst positions for teams since the 2007 season. The Mets catchers landed on that list.

Mets catchers have compiled an ugly -14.2 WAA since 2007, putting them seventh on the list. The Chicago White Sox second basemen, Texas Rangers first baseman, Minnesota Twins left fielders, Seattle Mariners catchers and first basemen, and the Miami Marlins first baseman were the only positions that rated out worse than the Mets catchers.

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When taking a look at who the Mets have had behind the plate since 2007, it should come as no surprise. Since 2007, the Mets have had Paul Lo Duca, Brian Schneider, Omir Santos, Rod Barajas, Josh Thole, John Buck, Travis d’Arnaud, and Kevin Plawecki lead the team in starts behind the plate.

Here is what Schoenfield said about the Mets dismal performance at catcher.

"Well, that’s certainly a mishmash of past-their-prime veterans and career backups given a chance to start. Mets catchers haven’t hit much better than Tampa’s group: (.240/.301/.361), and none of these guys was known for their defensive reputations. Once again, they’ll count on d’Arnaud to remain healthy and maybe hit like he did in 2015."

The Mets had high hopes for d’Arnaud when they acquired him from the Toronto Blue Jays in the R.A. Dickey trade. It was not the first big trade d’Arnaud was a part of, as he was part of a package for Roy Halladay earlier in his career.

d’Arnaud has fallen well short of expectations since the Mets acquired him, as he has been greatly outshined by Noah Syndergaard, who was also acquired from the Blue Jays in the same deal. d’Arnaud came to the Mets billed as a big time hitter but he has just not figured things out at the major league level consistently.

The injuries have also been a huge bummer for d’Arnaud, who just cannot stay healthy. Plawecki has also fallen well short of expectations. He was once a top prospect for the Mets but cannot hit in the majors, a problem Schoenfield noted has plagued the Mets catchers in the last decade.

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This should be the last chance that d’Arnaud has had being the starter for the Mets. His hitting was supposed to be his calling card, as his defense is poor, but it has not lived up to the hype. If d’Arnaud can’t figure things out this season, do not be surprised if the Mets add another name to that list.

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