Mets catcher Wilson Ramos has not lived up to the expectations

New York Mets catcher Wilson Ramos has underperformed at the plate through the first few weeks of the season. Specifically, he looks nearly void of any power. Is it time to start worrying?

The New York Mets have had a hole at catcher for a long time. Bringing in Wilson Ramos was supposed to sure up that position and end the concern there for the Mets. While he’s been better than the Devin Mesoraco–Kevin Plawecki duo from last year, he hasn’t been as good as advertised.

The Mets brought in Ramos on a 2-year, $19 million contract this offseason. Ramos was one of the main additions made to the offense, along with Jed Lowrie.

Last year, Plawecki and Mesoraco got the bulk of the plate appearances at catcher, combining for a .216/.310/.700 slash line and 2 WAR. After moving on from Plawecki before the year and eventually cutting Travis d’Arnaud this season, there’s no doubt the Mets were expecting more than that from Ramos.

Ramos was coming off an All-Star 2018 season. He slashed .306/.358/.845 with 15 home runs and 70 RBI while playing for the Rays and Phillies. Through 32 games, he’s batting .245 with a .614 OPS. He’s been worth -0.3 WAR so far and has been terrible defensively, worth -5 defensive runs saved behind the plate.

Perhaps the most concerning part about Ramos so far is his lack of power. After averaging 13.5 home runs over the past 8 seasons, he only has 1 this year. His ground ball rate is at a career and MLB high 62.7% while his fly ball percentage is only at 17.35%, the lowest in the MLB. He has only 4 extra base hits through 102 at-bats.

Not only is the ground ball rate extremely concerning, but his sprint speed is also tied for 359th out of 361 hitters. His launch angle is a paltry 0.3. This is not the player the Mets were expecting when they signed Ramos.

If the Mets want to get back on track this year, they’re going to need a lot more from their catchers. After moving on from d’Arnaud, Tomas Nido became the primary backup. He is not expected to bring much offense to the table, so the Mets really need Ramos to start hitting and hitting for power. The way he is playing right now is unacceptable.

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