Amazin’s could use a bit more bat from glove-first backup
Tomas Nido became a preferred option behind the plate for Mets starting pitchers last season, but his anemic bat cost him additional opportunities to play.
The 26-yearold catcher hit only .191/.231/.316 in 50 games last season, prompting him to hire a swing instructor in the offseason. When spring training was suspended on March
12 because of the COVID-19 outbreak, Nido was in a battle with veteran Rene Rivera for the backup job. Nido, who is without minor league options, was considered the favorite to begin the season with the club.
If Nido can show even decent improvement offensively he may have a long career with the Mets.
“He will probably be a guy that plays 10 or 11 years in the big leagues just because he can catch and throw,” a National League executive said. “He just hasn’t made any offensive adjustments, and it’s swing first and then deal with everything later.”
Nido represented the Mets in the All-Star Futures Game in 2017. His big-league debut came later that season, and the following year he played 34 games behind the plate as a backup to Kevin Plawecki and hit .167/.200/.238 with one homer and nine RBIs.
Nido had a solid stretch last June, in which he started 11 games and went 11-for-40 (.275) with a homer. But Nido went only 7-for58 (.121) for the remainder of the season.
“I don’t think he does a very good job of getting himself into a strong hitting position,” a NL scout said. “He’s constantly tinkering with his setup, his hand position, open stance, closed stance, on the plate, off the plate, high hands, low hands. He’s one of those guys who is always searching.”
Nido in spring training said the purpose of hiring a swing coach over the winter was to drive the ball better.
“Just a better bat-path and hitting the ball to all directions of the field,” Nido said. “Not just slapping singles, kind of driving the ball into the gap and having a better chance of being successful and battling in atbats.”
Last season, veteran Wilson Ramos arrived on a two-year deal worth $19 million after Plawecki was traded. Ramos initially had trouble meshing with Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, providing opportunities behind the plate for Nido.
“He seems to have soft hands,” the scout said. “He doesn’t fight the ball when he is catching it, so he receives the ball well and he does a good job of drawing balls toward the strike zone and it really looks like it’s the type of target that gives umpires a good look, with his ability to get low and be compact, so I give him good grades for receiving skills. His challenges for me are offensively.”
The NL executive said he understands why pitchers like throwing to Nido.
“He gives a good target, he’s very flexible and he’s got a good idea of how to receive balls,” the NL executive said. “I would like to throw to him, too, he’s a good catcher.”
The veteran Rivera returned on a minor league contract this offseason, providing the Mets with another backup option. Rivera, who played for the Mets in 2016 and ’17 — he was the starting catcher in the NL wildcard game in that first season — returned to the organization last year and moved up on the depth chart when Devin Mesoraco decided to retire rather than accept a minor league assignment and Travis d’Arnaud was released.