Piazza: I’m in camp to revamp catchers
PORT ST. LUCIE — Mike Piazza handled the subject as delicately as possible when he was asked Saturday about the Mets’ catching situation. The Hall of Fame catcher said he sees hard workers in Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki, but baseball is a results business.
So if the Mets are going to have a special season in 2018, the team’s catchers will need to show improvement. The status quo won’t do.
“I think they are great guys and that is important,” Piazza said at the Mets’ spring training complex, where he is serving as a guest instructor through Sunday. “They are very solid guys, they take care of themselves and work hard, but there is nothing wrong with looking at Travis and Kevin and challenging them to get better this year, to play better, to improve the performance.”
The 29-year-old d’Arnaud posted a .244/.293/.443 slash line last season with 16 homers and 57 RBIs while showing improvement defensively under the guidance of catching instructor Glenn Sherlock.
Even so, the Mets are inclined to use Plawecki on a semi-regular basis in an effort to keep d’Arnaud fresh over the long haul. Plawecki was largely a disappointment in his first few stints with the Mets, but played respectably over the final six weeks of last season, prompting team officials to embrace the idea of a job share.
Overall, Plawecki had a .260/.364/.400 slash line with three homers and 13 RBIs in 37 games for the Mets last season.
“Realistically not going and hitting 50 home runs and doing things exponentially greater than what they are doing, but getting more quality out of their at-bats,” Piazza said. “Getting more quality out of the games. Being pragmatic and realistic, but wanting to get better.
“They have the experience now and that comes from confidence and belief in yourself, and I think they need to, you can’t be afraid to take that next step and you can’t be afraid to put yourself out there and say, ‘I want to play better this year.’ It doesn’t mean you haven’t been playing hard before, but there is a difference between playing hard and playing better and getting results.”
It’s a message Piazza said he intends to impart when he works with both catchers Sunday. He said he also will remind d’Arnaud and Plawecki of their importance to the team, given the manner in which it’s constructed.
“An organization that is very focused on pitching, catching is actually the second most important job, so the catcher and the pitching staff have to have cohesiveness and the same philosophy,” Piazza said.
The 26-year-old Plawecki, when told of Piazza’s comments, said he realizes the need to continue pushing to improve. Such growth is still possible, he said. “I definitely know I am a better player than I have shown so far,” Plawecki said. “I definitely know the type of player that I am and what I am capable of and I am very excited with where I am at, physically, mentally and just all around with my game.”
Though the Mets finished 70-92 last season, Piazza said he is “excited” about the possibilities for the 2018 team. And he has tried to remind players to seize the opportunity with which they have been presented.
“You only have one time in your life to do this and there’s very few opportunities that you will have to play in New York City for these great fans with a team this talented,” Piazza said.
“The opportunity is now to try to get to the next level. They came close obviously a few years ago, and once you come that close and stumble, it’s very difficult to get back up and get there, but you have got to do it and I feel the fans deserve it.”