New York Mets: A closer look at the spring training non-roster invitees
By Ed Stein
Catchers
Teams will bring in extra catchers to handle all the pitchers in training camp. Most of them will be gone after two or three weeks, but they are in camp to start. The New York Mets signed All-Star Wilson Ramos a week before Christmas to be their everyday catcher. Former number one Travis d’Arnaud is still with the team as well. Here are the four spring training invitees.
Patrick Mazeika – He was the team’s eighth-round draft pick in 2015 out of Stetson University. Mazeika hit .231 in 87 games with AA Binghampton.
Devin Mesoraco – Bringing Mesoraco back is quite a surprise, even if it is on a minor league contract. I wrote a story on this last week, which you can read here. He’s a career .232 hitter in eight seasons. It’s likely NYM general manage Brodie Van Wagenen brought the 30-year old back to push d’Arnaud for the number two job so he can trade the latter to a team that needs catching help.
Colton Plaia – Last year was Plaia’s first at the AAA level. In 196 at-bats, he hit .255. for the Las Vegas 51’s. Plaia will most likely spend the season in Vegas again, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get a cup of coffee in majors this year.
Ali Sanchez – The former Venezuelan free agent has never advanced past Class A. His time to seriously contend for a major league job is still a few years away.