The Game Haus
  • Home
  • Esports
    • Strategy
      • League of Legends
      • Super Smash Brothers
      • Pokemon Unite
      • Teamfight Tactics
      • Legends of Runeterra
      • Rocket League
      • Wild Rift
      • Hearthstone
      • Pokemon
    • Shooters
      • Halo
      • Overwatch
      • Call of Duty
      • Valorant
      • Apex Legends
      • Gaming
      • CS:GO
      • Fortnite
      • Fighting Games
  • Sports
    • Live Sports
      • College Football
      • College Basketball
      • Soccer
      • NFL
      • NHL
      • MLB
      • NBA
      • PGA
    • Fantasy and Others
      • Fantasy Football
      • Fantasy Baseball
      • Nascar
      • NFL Draft
  • Store
  • More
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Best iGaming Sites
    • Best VPN Sites
    • Best Browser Games
  • Starfield
Facebook Twitter Instagram
The Game Haus
  • Home
  • Esports
    • Strategy
      • League of Legends
      • Super Smash Brothers
      • Pokemon Unite
      • Teamfight Tactics
      • Legends of Runeterra
      • Rocket League
      • Wild Rift
      • Hearthstone
      • Pokemon
    • Shooters
      • Halo
      • Overwatch
      • Call of Duty
      • Valorant
      • Apex Legends
      • Gaming
      • CS:GO
      • Fortnite
      • Fighting Games
  • Sports
    • Live Sports
      • College Football
      • College Basketball
      • Soccer
      • NFL
      • NHL
      • MLB
      • NBA
      • PGA
    • Fantasy and Others
      • Fantasy Football
      • Fantasy Baseball
      • Nascar
      • NFL Draft
  • Store
  • More
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Best iGaming Sites
    • Best VPN Sites
    • Best Browser Games
  • Starfield
Facebook Twitter YouTube
The Game Haus
Home»MLB»New York Mets Position Previews: Catcher
Fantasy Baseball Start or Sit
Photo Courtesy of freep.com
MLB

New York Mets Position Previews: Catcher

Zach LevineBy Zach LevineFebruary 2, 2021Updated:February 7, 20215 Mins Read

With just over two weeks until Spring Training, the New York Mets roster is finally starting to take shape. While there are still some unknowns, the bulk of the starters and backups appear set in place.

Starting today, and continuing every Wednesday until opening day, each position will get its own deep dive analysis. First up are the catchers.

The Starter

Going into the offseason, getting a new catcher was arguably the team’s greatest need. After an up-and-down 2019 season, former catcher Wilson Ramos literally and figuratively dropped the ball in 2020. Now, with Ramos gone, it’s new addition James McCann who will take up starting duties.

Signed to a four-year, $40.6 million contract on December 15, 2020, McCann will be a key fixture in what looks to be a solid playoff roster for years to come. While some fans may be disappointed that the Mets didn’t sign top free agent J.T. Realmuto, McCann still represents a huge upgrade over Ramos. He may even have the potential to be the best catcher the Mets have had since Paul Lo Duca. Of course, that will be dependent on McCann continuing the high level of play from his last two seasons.

Now 30-years-old, McCann was something of a late bloomer. In five years with the Detroit Tigers, he was a liability on both sides of the plate. Offensively, he slashed a dismal .240/.288/.366 with an OPS+ of just 76. He also wasn’t much of a power threat with just 40 homeruns in that span. Defensively, McCann didn’t fare much better, accumulating -10 DRS in that span. His pitch framing was also abysmal, ranking in the bottom half of the league almost every year. He even ranked as low as the 6th percentile in 2017. McCann’s one saving grace in this time was that he was above average at throwing runners out, catching 106 runners for a 38% CS rate.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire
Image Courtesy of Flip Board

Luckily, there was a light at the end of the tunnel as things finally started to click for McCann 2019. After signing with the Chicago White Sox, he transformed into an All-Star. He hit .273/.328/.460 with a 108 OPS+, 18 homeruns and 26 doubles that year. Contributing to this were massive increases in hard hit percentage and exit velocity that saw McCann emerge as one of the better hitting catchers in baseball. His defense also improved as he put up 4 DRS, though, his pitch framing was still subpar as he finished in the 12th percentile.

All of this came to a head in 2020, when McCann again set new career highs in just about every rate stat. This season also saw him finally emerge as a proficient pitch framer, finishing in the 88th percentile. If the last two seasons truly weren’t a fluke and McCann is indeed the player the Mets are paying him to be, their odds of making the postseason increase dramatically.

Backups

Returning once again as the team’s primary backup catcher is Tomas Nido. Things haven’t gone smoothly for the 26-year-old through his first four years in the majors. Slashing .197/.234/.583 with a meager 49 OPS+ and just seven homeruns in his career, don’t expect much from him in terms of offensive production. As a fielder, Nido’s been the epitome of mediocre, finishing with 0 DRS three times and saving just one run in his whole career. He’s not much of a thrower either, catching just eight runners for a 13% CS rate. Unlike McCann, Nido’s one advantage comes in his pitch framing where he’s slightly above average. Though 2019 was the only season where he played enough games to qualify, he still finished in the 73rd percentile that year.

Should Nido prove ineffective as the first backup, look to New York’s 20th ranked prospect Ali Sanchez to pick up the slack. Making a brief debut last year at just 23-years-old, Sanchez recorded one hit in just nine at bats. His limited playtime also meant that he didn’t get an opportunity to prove himself behind the dish. For now, all fans really have to go on is his strong minor league performance. A defense-first catcher, Sanchez has so far been excellent at every minor league level. His blocking, pitch framing and caught stealing numbers are all consistently well above average. While he’s gone back and forth between being decent and ineffective as a batter, there is hope that more time in AAA can help Sanchez finally find his footing. Barring an exceptional Spring Training, expect him to start the season there.

That’s it for the catchers. Check back next Wednesday when the first basemen get their analysis.

Featured Image Courtesy of Freep.com

You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers like Zach!

‘From our Haus to yours’

2021 Mets Season Preview 2021 MLB season 2021 MLB season preview 2021 New York Mets AA AAA Ali Sanchez Ali Sanchez Mets Baseball catcher catching depth caught stealing Chicago White Sox defense Detroit Tigers First Basemen James McCann James McCann catcher James McCann Mets James McCann New York Mets JT Realmuto Lo Duca McCann McCann mets Mets prospects MiLB Minor League Baseball MLB MLB all-star MLB Prospects MLB Season preview New York Mets Nido offense Paul Lo Duca pitch framing Prospects Ramos Realmuto Sanchez Season Preview Sports Spring Training stealing tigers Tomas Nido Tomas Nido Mets White Sox

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Recent Stories

Is Assassins Creed Mirage Gamepass?

September 25, 2023

Overwatch 2 Season 7 Release Date

September 25, 2023

Overwatch 2 Season 7 New Map Leaked?

September 25, 2023

The Game Haus aims to bring unbiased, factually sound opinions to audiences across a range of mediums that are not readily accessible in the day-to-day media outlets. We cover the latest news in Call of Duty, CS:GO, League of Legends, Dota 2, Fighting Games, NBA 2K, Halo, Hearthstone, Overwatch, Pokemon, Rocket League, Smite, Starcraft II, Fantasy Sports, MLS, EPL, MLB, NASCAR, NBA, NCAAB, NCAAF, NFL, NHL, and PGA.

Next to our unbiased coverage for esports and sports, have a look at our iGaming content. If you are looking for the most recommended Esports Betting Sites or Best Sports Betting Sites, look no further. We also cover the Best Sweepstakes Casinos in our free 2 play section and have a closer look at the Best DFS Sites out there. If you are looking for some real money options, check how we ranked the Best Online Casinos.

Don’t miss out on our dedicated VPN section. If you are in need of the Best VPN Services, we now got your back. No matter whether you are searching for the Best Gaming VPNs, reliable VPNs for Streaming or just looking for switching to a different Country IP via VPN, we have all the answers you need. No time to waste? Check our ExpressVPN Review or our NordVPN Review and you have the clear winners!

The Game Haus is now bringing you the best browser games to play for free. Up for a classic, then don’t hestitate to play Forge of Empires online. Fancy new browser games? No problem! We have toplists for MMO browser games, free online strategy games or browser building games. No matter if you want to play laptop browser games by yourself or the best free coop games. We got you covered!

Follow us on Social Media for updates! Sports: Facebook | Twitter Esports: Facebook | Twitter

Login

Facebook Twitter YouTube
© 2023 The Game Haus. Designed by SEOpologist.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.