With hopes of a healthier 2016, Travis d’Arnaud‘s play regressed by most accounts, and his future with the Mets is now as uncertain as ever.
Coming into 2016, Travis d’Arnaud’s ability to remain on the field was already a concern.
In 2015, he appeared in only 67 games and had 268 plate appearances. He suffered through a broken pinky and later through a hyperextended elbow. Even after all this, though, d’Arnaud battled back and would even be part of the 2015 pennant-winning Mets roster.
In that limited amount of time, his offense was still there. He played less than half a season but hit 12 home runs and had an OPS of .825.
“If he could only stay healthy,” we all thought going into 2016.
How did he fare in 2016?
If you were worried about Travis d’Arnaud’s long-term status with the Mets going into this past season, you came out even worse. D’Arnaud’s 2016 campaign was again cut short by injury, and he again played less than a full season.
On April 23, d’Arnaud was again sidelined, this time with a strained right rotator cuff. He came back to the team towards the end of June, but his offense was a no-show.
Compared to 2015, he played in eight more games in 2016 and had eight more plate appearances, but his numbers completely dropped off the face of the planet. He hit just four home runs, and drove in 15 runs all year. Fifteen. His OPS dropped almost 200 points, from .825 to .629, in the span of one season.
To say 2016 was a lost season would be an understatement.
Areas to improve upon
D’Arnaud needs to literally improve in every phase of the game going forward.
In our Rising Apple Christmas Special, the guys and I pointed out that catcher is the Mets’ biggest worry going into the 2017 season, and that’s mainly because of d’Arnaud’s inability to play at the level a lot of us believe he should be at.
Travis’ biggest need is obviously staying healthy. In the last three years, the most amount of games he’s been able to play at the Major League level is 108, and that was in 2014. The last two seasons, he’s played 67 and 75 games respectively. That’s just not okay for a player that’s being counted on for a starting job.
Like with Mets’ captain David Wright, if d’Arnaud can stay healthy, I believe the offensive numbers will be there.
D’Arnaud also needs to improve on his throwing ability. In 2016, d’Arnaud had 61 bases stolen while he was behind the plate. He only caught 17 would-be base stealers, which gave him a 22 percent caught-stealing rate – about five percent less than the league average.
While it’s a known fact that Mets pitchers, in particularly Noah Syndergaard, struggle to keep runners close to the bag, a better throwing performance from d’Arnaud would have still helped. Rene Rivera, for example, threw out 30 percent of base runners in 2016.
If Travis’ arm is healthy enough going into the season, his defensive side should also be worked on this spring.
Projected role for 2017
The starting catcher position is Travis d’Arnaud’s to lose.
While the Mets did re-sign Rene Rivera, he’s expected to be the backup. He’s perfect for that slot, and I don’t believe the Mets want him starting the bulk of the games next season.
However, a little competition is never a bad thing, and if Rivera plays well, maybe that gets Travis going somehow and puts him back on track with his 2015 self.
In terms of his place in the lineup, I’m thinking he’ll be batting seventh or eighth if he doesn’t get his production up early. It’s not an ideal position for a guy who can have an OPS above .800, but I doubt Terry Collins trusts him enough at this point to put him in a run-producing slot.
If he were to be able to get going offensively, I’d love to see d’Arnaud batting fifth or sixth, breaking up lefties like Lucas Duda or Jay Bruce (if he’s still here) in the lineup. It all goes back to health, though, and that will always be the big question with d’Arnaud.
Contract Status and Trade Rumors
Since he’s still new in the league, d’Arnaud has a few years to go before he hits free agency. That would be in 2020. However, despite his status, many — myself included — believe this year is d’Arnaud’s final chance to show what he can do.
His injuries have piled up, and if he’s not able to put in a full season of work in 2017, I think the Mets will look to part ways with him one way or another.
I personally wouldn’t be happy about it as I’ve been one of the bigger d’Arnaud fans out there, but if he’s unable to perform, the Mets need to look at the catching situation in a big way again.
During last year’s trade deadline, the Mets attempted to land Jonathan Lucroy from the Brewers. While that deal would ultimately fall apart, it showed that the organization is ready to move on from d’Arnaud should a better deal show up.
Since then, the Mets haven’t been linked to any other catcher on the free-agent market or via potential trades, so it’s obvious they’re willing to again give Travis a shot.
Travis d’Arnaud gif time!
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