Kevin Plawecki ranked sixth best catching prospect by MLB.com

Kevin Plawecki, one of the top prospects in the Mets organization, has been ranked by MLB.com as the sixth best catching prospect in baseball.

Blake Swihart of the Red Sox was ranked first on the list, and others ahead of Plawecki included Kyle Schwarber and Austin Hedges.

Players who checked in behind Plawecki included Reese McGuire and Max Pentecost.

On the scouting scale, Plawecki received the following grades:

Hit: 55
Power: 45
Run: 35
Arm: 50
Field: 50
Overall grade: 55

Writes Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com:

"Throughout his climb up the Mets’ ladder, Plawecki has shown a penchant for making consistent contact. He rarely strikes out and has hit for average at every stop, with a career .295 average entering the 2015 season. He has a contact-over-power approach, but he does have enough strength to clear some fences. Plawecki hit 11 homers in 2014 and that sounds about right in terms of what’s fair to expect in the future. Drafted as an offensive-minded backstop, Plawecki has been solid behind the plate, with good hands and enough agility to block balls well. His arm is average, and he’s never going to be the kind of catcher who completely shuts down a running game.Travis d’Arnaud stands in Plawecki’s way at the big league level, but while Plawecki may have looked initially like d’Arnaud’s eventual backup, he’s shown he might be able to compete for the No. 1 job in the near future."

Plawecki, who turns 24 in February, hit .326/.378/.487 in 249 plate appearances for Double-A Binghamton in 2014 before being promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas. Once in Las Vegas, Plawecki hit .283/.345/.421 in 170 plate appearances.

Thoughts:

Ever since being drafted by the Mets out of Purdue in 2012, Plawecki has impressed.

While his offensive upside, especially power-wise, isn’t as high as Travis d’Arnaud‘s, Plawecki is viewed by most scouts as a future starting catcher in the big leagues.

Due to Plawecki’s power – which is fine for a catcher but would be below average at first base – his path in the majors with the Mets is blocked if d’Arnaud remains healthy. Both Plawecki and d’Arnaud hit from the right side, making a potential platoon pointless.

While the Mets could theoretically use Plawecki as a backup for d’Arnaud, that would be a waste of an asset.

With Plawecki set to open 2015 in Triple-A and just about ready for the majors, look for the Mets to trade him if d’Arnaud remains healthy.