Tomas Nido

New York Mets: Offense Finds New Life in 7-4 Against Astros

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New York Mets, Rick Porcello

Tuesday’s game between the New York Mets and Houston Astros was not typical of the Mets Spring Training. The pitching did not dominate, pitching in and out of trouble throughout the day. Their offense showed up, but it came from mostly players who are trying to make the team.

Rick Porcello scattered nine hits over 4.2 innings and only allowed two runs. He only struck out one, which shows he was not dominant by any means. Porcello had a baserunner on in every innings he pitched but managed to keep the Astros from mustering anything significant off him.

Offensive Revival

Rene Rivera had a big day going 2-for-4 with an RBI as he tries to steal the backup catcher job from Tomas Nido. Robinson Cano added a two-RBI single on the day and has hits in back to back games. The bench crew was led by Matt Winaker’s solo home run to give the Mets the lead in the eighth inning. Jake Hager also added an RBI single in the Mets three-run eighth.

Pedro Payano picked up the six-out save, despite allowing four base runners. The newly acquired reliever has a 3.52 ERA so far. Chasen Shreve struggled again, allowing a solo homer to Drew Ferguson to give up the Mets lead.

On Wednesday, Jacob deGrom makes his second start of the Spring as he takes on the St. Louis Cardinals. The Mets will face a familiar foe in Carlos Martinez. The game will be at Port St. Lucie at 1:10 p.m. and is on SNY.

New York Mets: Tomas Nido hired a swing coach in the offseason to improve offensively

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It is very clear that the New York Mets have a starting catcher, and his name is Wilson Ramos. The Venezuelan remains the most potent offensive force at the position, but his defense and framing at this point in his career have taken a step back.

That’s why the Mets backup catcher, Tomas Nido, has had opportunities to play. The 2020 season will likely not be an exception: Ramos will see the bulk of at-bats from the position, but Nido will also play more than a little bit.

After all, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom, just to name a couple of Mets’ pitchers, haven’t been shy about saying they prefer to pitch to Nido and other backup options.

Nido has already shown the Mets that he can be a capable backup catcher. He does everything that a backup receiver should do: he handles his pitchers in a good way, he calls a fantastic game, he is a good framer (in the 74th percentile according to Statcast) and his pop time was in the 93rd percentile in 2019.

The Mets’ backup pending assignment

The remaining step for him to have an option at starting duties is, well, the bat. In 144 plate appearances with the Mets last season, he had a .191/.231/.316 slash line with 4 home runs. He had a very low 4.9 BB% and a below-average 25.7 K%.

Even if he wants to maintain his spot as the Mets’ backup catcher, he needs to improve his offensive production. To do that, he hired a swing coach during the offseason to help with his approach, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post.

“Just a better bat-path and hitting the ball to all directions of the field,” Nido said to the Post explaining the changes he intends to apply. “Not just slapping singles, kind of driving the ball into the gap and having a better chance of being successful and battling in at-bats.”

Nido is currently out of minor league options. He will compete for backup duties with Rene Rivera. The New York Mets are sure hoping that Nido can improve offensively.

Predicting the New York Mets Bench Players

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For the first time in quite a few years, the New York Mets have the depth they can count on throughout their bench. It features some high profile contracts and critical acquisitions to bolster the team’s defensive depth late in games.

Rene Rivera

The backup catcher battle is going to be heated one throughout Spring Training quietly. Tomas Nido is out of minor league options and has not shown any hitting prowess during his career. There are plenty of choices similar to Nido in the minors, and Rene Rivera is a veteran the Mets have trusted with their pitching staff before. Rivera is still a great defensive catcher, and Noah Syndergaard will be happy to throw it to him throughout Spring Training.

Dominic Smith

Dominic Smith has survived the offseason trade rumors, but the ones in Spring Training may be a different story. Despite the Mets signing Matt Adams, Smith should make it out of camp with the team. He proved to be a valuable pinch hitter after Pete Alonso ran away with the first base job. The only way the Mets trade him is if he breaks out during Spring Training and the Mets deal him when his stock is high.

Luis Guillorme

This spot would belong to Jed Lowrie but his reality as a Met is dim. Either he will not be ready for Opening Day or the Mets will find a way to move him before the Spring ends. Luis Guillorme was a very useful player off the bench during the second half of 2019. He can play three out of the four infield spots well and can is useful in a bench role.

Jake Marisnick

The Mets traded for Jake Marisnick as a small upgrade to Juan Lagares. He will be a massive part of the Mets during the late innings due to his gold glove caliber defense in center field. Marisnick is not much of a hitter, but with all the outfield options the Mets have, hitting is not the reason why he is a Met. It would be no surprise to see him play in 120 games but only tally around 300 plate appearances as he did in 2019.

Yoenis Cespedes

The left-field competition between Yoenis Cespedes and J.D. Davis is a heavyweight prizefight that is going overlooked. By all accounts, Cespedes is healthy and ready to participate fully during Spring Training. Just three years ago, their roles differed. Cespedes was the stud hitter coming off a strong 2016, and Davis was trying to show he belonged on a major league roster. He has a huge chip on his shoulder and has set his expectations higher than ever.

The injuries and off-field stories make us forget how special an athlete Cespedes is. Despite turning 34, he still garners Ruth like power and a cannon for an arm. When healthy, the Mets win games, and if he is healthy, the production will follow, and he will see himself in the lineup often as the season progresses.

 

New York Mets Re-Sign Rene Rivera

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The New York Mets catching depth behind Wilson Ramos was extremely thin heading into Spring Training, but the Mets have brought back veteran catcher Rene Rivera. He comes back to the Mets on a minor league deal for the second consecutive year, and he also receives an invite to Spring Training.

Rivera will make $1 million if he lands on the major league roster along with another $300,000 in possible incentives. The 36-year old veteran is your prototypical backup catcher, pop in his bat, and very strong defensively. He only played in nine big-league games during the 2019 season, hitting .235. Rivera’s minor league was fantastic, he hit 25 home runs and threw out 52 percent of base stealers.

Separate Plan in Place

Projected trade piece Tomas Nido is the current Mets backup catcher. His name has come up in trade talks with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Rivera would slot in place should the Mets acquire Marte. Discussions on Marte increased over the last week, and after the Atlanta Braves signed Marcel Ozuna, the Mets might look to equal the move.

Should Nido stay, both would compete for the backup catcher job. The Mets handed Nido the position last season, but he was not convincing as the man for the situation going forward. In 50 games, Nido only hit .191 and struggled to throw out any baserunners. The Mets will need some production from their backup, so Wilson Ramos can avoid playing in 140+ games in 2020.

New York Mets: Tomas Nido Year in Review

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The defensive minded Tomas Nido did not have much production at the plate, but he gained the vote of confidence from Noah Syndergaard thanks to his defensive ability. Nido struggled to find consistent playing time over Wilson Ramos, but still had an important role as the Mets backup catcher.

Nido only .191 with four home runs and 14 RBIs in 50 games (38 starts). His first half was very respectable as he hit .256, compared to a very ugly .093 during the second half. His pitch framing was very strong, but he was very mediocre at throwing runners out. Only 8 percent of baserunners were thrown out and it certainly does not help when he has to catch Syndergaard, who is poor at holding baserunners close.

d’Arnaud or Nido?

The Mets gave the cheaper and younger option of Nido the opportunity to back up early in the season. They decided to quickly cut ties with their long time catcher after a brutal start of the season. Turns out, the Mets were dead wrong with giving up on d’Arnaud who found a home in Tampa Bay.

Nico seemed to securely have the backup role heading into 2020 as the Mets expect his bat to come around. As a backup, he does not have to hit like Ramos, but his defense needs to be top notch to keep his job past 2020.

Grades:

Offense: F

Defense: D

Baserunning: Not on base enough to evaluate

Intangibles: C

Overall: D

The Mets have very little catching prospects, Nido will get a chance to prove his worth again in 2020.

 

New York Mets: Rene Rivera to Catch Noah Syndergaard

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New York Mets, Noah Syndergaard

After a week full of speculation and drama, the New York Mets are finally ending the forced relationship between Noah Syndergaard and Wilson Ramos. Rene Rivera will be behind the dish for his next start Wednesday against the Rockies.

Too Little Too Late?

The Mets slipped to five games out of the Wild Card race with 12 games to play and are all but eliminated. If the Mets wanted to give Rivera the start behind the dish, they should have done it during the series against the Dodgers. The Mets were still in the race and could have used a dominant start from Syndergaard to match Clayton Kershaw’s.

There is no doubt Syndergaard has always pitched better to Rivera and the Mets hope to end his season on a good note. He has been inconsistent throughout the year and switching to a catcher Syndergaard is comfortable with could get him on track.

Where Does This Leave Ramos?

Ramos and Syndergaard will likely be on the roster in 2020, but who knows where Rene Rivera will be. The Mets were lucky to bring him back in the offseason, but plenty of teams could use Rivera as their backup. Ramos and Syndergaard will either have to use the entire offseason and Spring Training to get on the same page or just scrap the idea all together.

Tomas Nido also has a good connection with Syndergaard and will likely be his personal catcher should Rivera head else where. No matter who is catching, if Syndergaard is not reaching his full potential he will quickly lose the ability to pick his battery mate. There is immense pressure for him to succeed over his last couple of starts, because more than likely there will be a new Mets manager next year. The new manager likely will not be as flexible as Callaway.

At this point, Syndergaard is hosting the baseball version of “The Bachelor” with the three catchers in the palm of his hands.