Mets catcher Tomas Nido has something to prove in 2019

Plenty of New York Mets have something to prove in 2019. One of those forgotten men is catcher Tomas Nido.

Often, when a new general manager is hired, there are lots of changes. Every new GM likes to put their stamp on their team. More often than not new GM’s also don’t have a problem with detaching themselves from players they did not draft themselves. It’s no different with the New York Mets in 2019.

As Brodie Van Wagenen takes office this year in Flushing, it will be interesting to see what he does with players he did not bring in on his own. One name, in particular, is Tomas Nido.

Nido, who was often featured on the Mets prospect list has yet to really stick around on the big league level. With catcher being a main concern for the Mets over the past couple of years, Nido had a chance to prove why he could handle being the guy behind the plate with Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki struggling. But with no outstanding years in the minors and lackluster September call-up performances that have not been the case.

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The truth is if Nido wants any chance of being the Mets catcher one day, he needs a big 2019 to show he is worthy of the job.

Nido’s breakout year came in 2016 when he was playing for SIngle-A St. Lucie when he batted .320 on the season with 23 doubles, 7 home runs, and 46 RBI. In 2017 Nido would spend the year in Double-A Binghamton where he only hit .232 but still managed to hit 8 home runs and drive in 60 RBI.

In 2018, Nido stayed in Double-A putting up almost the same numbers, hitting 5 home runs and driving in 30 runs, the batting average ending up at .235.

You can tell Nido is a consistent bat as his numbers are almost always the same but you can also say he’s just average. In 94 MLB at-bats with the Mets, he only has 17 hits (.181 BA), 1 home run, and 12 RBI.

Nido is expected to start the year in Triple-A Syracuse in 2019, but based on certain moves the Mets have made, you have to wonder if Van Wagenen has already moved on from the thought of Nido. With the catching position being up in the air at the end of the 2018 season, the Mets moved on from the tandem of d’Arnaud and Plawecki and signed Wilson Ramos to a two-year contract.

With the deal that sent Plawecki to the Cleveland Indians, d’Arnaud will serve as the backup to Ramos when 2019 begins. The Mets also re-signed Devin Mesoraco to a minor league contract which in theory sets Nido further down the depth chart as of right now.

On top of all this, the team had pursued the thought of trading for J.T. Realmuto this past offseason. Although they signed Ramos to a two-year contract, Realmuto can become a free agent in two years as well. The thought of Van Wagenen pursuing Realmuto later on when it’ll cost dollars instead of prospects is a real possibility.

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Nido could put a halt on all of that speculation with a big 2019 and take charge in becoming the Mets catcher of the future. At just 24 years old Nido has the time to turn things around and still convince the new boss that he’s the guy to look at.