Mike’s Mets Player Review Series: Kevin Plawecki

Now that the 2017 season is over for the New York Mets, we have been looking back at the year that was. After taking a more general view of the offense, pitching, and coaching staff, it’s time to take a look back at the Mets’ players. This series will take a look at every player on the active roster for the Mets at the end of season from A (Nori Aoki) to W (David Wright). The review will look at their season statistics, stories, and what role (if any) they will have next season. We continue our series today with a look at catcher Kevin Plawecki.

Player Review: Kevin Plawecki

Stats:

Minor Leagues: 64 Games, 247 At Bats, 81 Hits, 17 Doubles, 1 Triple, 9 Home Runs, 45 RBI’s, 37 Runs Scored, .328 Batting Average, .889 OPS

Major Leagues: 37 Games, 100 At Bats, 26 Hits, 5 Doubles, 3 Home Runs, 13 RBI’s, 11 Runs Scored, 1 Stolen Base, .260 Batting Average, .764 OPS

Story: After underachieving in his first two big league seasons, Kevin Plawecki entered 2017 a distant third on the Mets’ depth chart behind the plate. Plawecki got to spend a month in the bigs in late April after Travis d’Arnaud landed on the disabled list, but he got more notoriety for having a sex toy in his locker than his on field performance. The sex toy (according to team insiders, there were more: another dildo and some Loveplugs stainless steel anal beads) was part of a prank, but Plawecki was going to get sent down anyway once d’Arnaud returned from the disabled list. Plawecki stayed in the minors until late August, when Rene Rivera was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs. The Mets gave Plawecki another shot at that point, and he actually did something with his chance, batting .303 with three homers and nine RBI’s the rest of the way. The strong showing allowed Plawecki to force his way into a time share with d’Arnaud in September, and the two of them seemed to respond to each other’s performance.

Grade: B-

Plawecki appears to have finally broken through into a competent big league catcher. The Mets have always liked Plawecki’s defensive skills, but if his bat has caught up to his glove they may have found something here.

Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration Eligible

Odds of Returning: 100%

2018 Role: Platoon Catcher

The Mets appear committed to using Plawecki and d’Arnaud in a platoon next season, and that looks to be a wise move. Both players were notably more effective splitting time, and it is more cost effective for the Mets to try a platoon for a year than spend a ton of free agent capital in a poor market for catchers. Plawecki and d’Arnaud will both need a strong showing in 2018 in order to hold onto the job for longer than that.

Check back tomorrow as our Player Review Series continues with a look at relief pitcher A.J. Ramos!