Mets catching tandem of d’Arnaud and Plawecki look good in spring

The Mets have made it very clear that playing time behind the plate will be shared between Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki.

For quite some time now, it has been known all throughout Mets-land that there will not be one dominant starting catcher this year. We saw this happen down the stretch in 2017, and it was actually pretty effective.

It seems that because d’Arnaud and Plawecki are great friends, neither of the two have an issue with this strategy. Actually, they both seem to kind of be on board with it.

At the end of last season, we saw both d’Arnaud and Plawecki come alive and really have some nice at bats and show how much they can add to the team. Both catchers really had nice Septembers and left a hopeful impression.

Already in Spring Training, playing time has been pretty much equally split between the two, and it seems to be working. Plawecki has been raking in early on, and is currently leading the team in runs batted in. Wait, what?

Splitting time means more rest for d’Arnaud, man made of glass, which could be really beneficial in the long run. It is clear that the Mets are planning on contending this year, so the more rest for d’Arnaud, the better.

Plawecki used to be considered one of the Mets most promising prospects when he first made his way onto the minor league scene. He lost that a bit, and his swing changed (not for the better), but his hot streak down the stretch last season acted as a glimmer of hope for the young catcher.

He had mentioned that his swing in college, the one that caught the Mets attention, was much more crouched down than it is now, and he is working hard to get back to what was so compelling to the Mets and got him drafted.

Plawecki is planning on proving everyone who doubts his (or d’Arnaud’s) abilities wrong in 2018. He feels both catchers have a lot left to give to the Mets, and he is ready to prove those who underestimate the Mets catchers wrong.

Plawecki, this spring,  is actually hitting .381, with an OPS well above 1.000. When did you think that was going to be a thing?

D’Arnaud’s spring success is not causing as much noise as Plawecki’s, but he is also performing very nicely. d’Arnaud batting .316 with a home run under his belt.

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If d’Arnaud and Plawecki can start their September success in March and keep it going for a good chunk of the season, the Mets could be in business. If this split time proves to be effective, Sandy Alderson and Mickey Callaway will look like geniuses.