Travis d’Arnaud and his Top 5 Catcher Upside
Sep 17, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets catcher Travis d
Travis d’Arnaud was a prized catching prospect that the New York Mets obtained when they sent R.A. Dickey north of the border after his Cy Young article. In 2014, Travis d’Arnaud was given the chance to be the full time catcher for the Mets, but he struggled big time in the first half. In fact, Travis d’Arnaud was demoted to AAA in June for a couple weeks.
You may be asking why I would possibly suggest drafting a catcher who could not even keep his job this past season. The reason is because I noticed that d’Arnaud experienced a bit of a second half resurgence in 2014. It seemed like d’Arnaud found himself with his stat line posted on the bottom line on ESPN or filling out the box score a little more frequently.
I tested my suspicions by checking out his stats from the time of his return from AAA. From June 24th to the end of the regular season, Travis d’Arnaud experienced a renaissance at the plate, which can be evidenced by this table:
[table id=1284 /]
His 276 at-bats represented a little over half of a season for a catcher. Travis d’Arnaud appeared in 88 games in that span, which demonstrated he could hit well at the Major League level for an extended period of time.
The potential for 20 home runs is there. A .272 batting average is very respectable from a catcher and his .805 OPS is downright good. When you add in nice contributions from his counting stats, you are looking at a very viable catcher option.
If I gave you the option to own a catcher who could score 70 runs, 20 homers, 70 RBI’s, and hit for a decent average, then you would jump on that opportunity unless you were spending that draft pick on Buster Posey. However, this catcher will only cost a late round pick because of his “struggles” in 2014. I would assume you would be salivating at this opportunity. After all, drafting is all about relative value.
The great thing about a second half performer is that their overall stats mask their recent form, which means you can find more value on draft day. I believe that Travis d’Arnaud is the best value at the catcher position in 2015. Plus, the Mets are once again moving in the fences at Citi Field if you need even more incentive.
Beyond his second half performance, d’Arnaud is a bit of a post-hype sleeper. Remember Lucas Duda mania in 2013? Yeah, that was a bust. However, his draft stock considerably fell this past spring in fantasy baseball, but he managed to crush 30 home runs and provide his owners with an .830 OPS. Also, Duda was probably a free agent pick-up if you were lucky enough to own him.
I believe Travis d’Arnaud falls into the same category as Lucas Duda in terms of producing one year after the hype train arrived at the station. My only concern with d’Arnaud is his injury history, but I feel like every professional catcher is an injury risk. Still, how much do you need to worry if he will cost you so little on draft day?
Above all, Travis d’Arnaud is a very talented baseball player, and I think you should draft him for the multitude of reasons that I highlighted above in the article:
- Very highly touted catching prospect with a big bat
- His overall 2014 stats masked his performance once he returned from AAA
- Travis d’Arnaud will cost next to nothing on draft day
- Can hit 20 home runs from the catcher position
- Will be age 26 next season
- Citi Field will be bringing in their fences once again