Mets should keep Tomas Nido if he’s going hit like these projections predict

The New York Mets may want to reconsider upgrading over Tomas Nido if he’s going to produce numbers like Baseball-Reference’s “Marcels projections” is predicting.

‘Tis the season to predict what will happen in the upcoming season. We’re weeks away from Spring Training beginning. For New York Mets catcher Tomas Nido, the biggest question right now is whether or not he’ll even have a chance to crack the Opening Day roster.

Nido is out of minor league options so the Mets will either need to begin the season with him on the roster or DFA him. One projection, Marcels projections via Baseball-Reference, has Nido putting together an unexpectedly productive season at the plate.

If Nido is going to post numbers like these, the Mets need to keep him around for the start of 2020.

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So what do these numbers look like? In 281 trips to the plate, Nido is projected to slash .222/.279/.381. While far from great, they’re much better than he has done in his major league career thus far. In addition to hitting for a much better average than I would predict, Nido is projected to knock 12 doubles and 9 home runs.

Based on these numbers, I think Marcels projections either thinks very highly of Nido or has been drinking.

In his first 244 plate appearances as a major leaguer, Nido is hitting .187/.222/.291 with 9 doubles and 5 home runs. I’m not sure why he’s expected to put up much better numbers in the upcoming season. Even in the minors, he has been mostly underwhelming.

The Mets do look like they’re moving away from having high hopes for Nido in the future. There was plenty of talk this winter about their search for a new backup catcher. With limited options still available, it looks like they may stick with him for at least a little while longer.

Fortunately for the Mets, there are minor league options nearing big-league ready status. Ali Sanchez, for instance, looks like he may have a chance to contribute at some point this year. Further down the line, we could see Francisco Alvarez star behind the dish.

Nido isn’t all bad, for what it’s worth. His work behind the plate with Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard last year is what kept him as an option for 2020. He’s a good defender whose bat will probably never catch up. If it ever did, I could see him carving out a niche as a lifetime backup journeyman catcher.

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In my opinion, the only thing better than that gig is the backup quarterback in the NFL.