Daily Dose: Mets Catcher Woes
No team has been hotter recently than the Mets, going on eight straight wins. Unfortunately, they had one of their first tough breaks of the season, literally, on Sunday afternoon.
In addition to lefty reliever Jerry Blevins fracturing his forearm, starting catcher Travis d’Arnaud took a pitch to the right hand, resulting in a fracture. There’s currently no timetable for d’Arnaud until he is examined further by doctors, but it’s safe to assume he will miss at least one month.
The good news for the Mets is that arguably their top position prospect, Kevin Plawecki, will step in to replace d’Arnaud. The 35th overall pick in 2012, Plawecki is off to a slow start at Triple-A Las Vegas but hit .309-11-64 between Double-A and Triple-A last season. He doesn’t have the power that d’Arnaud brings to the table, but Plawecki has proven to be a strong contact hitter during his pro career and has consistently hit for average.
There’s been some debate about what to do with Plawecki long-term with d’Arnaud holding down the fort at catcher. Shifting him to first base no longer seems like an option with Lucas Duda’s breakout last season, but at the very least the Mets will be able to showcase him for interested teams while d’Arnaud is on the shelf. Of course, injuries are nothing new for d’Arnaud, who missed time in 2013 because of a broken foot.
With the Mets finally looking to compete this season, Plawecki’s performance could very well determine the future of the franchise behind the plate. Regardless, he’s an obvious pick up for spurned d’Arnaud owners and most other fantasy owners in two-catcher leagues.
Nelson Cruz Stays Hot
A popular bust pick heading into the season after leading baseball with 40 homers in a walk year at hitter-friendly Camden Yards last season, Nelson Cruz has taken well to his new home in Seattle. He went 3-for-6 with two more home runs on Sunday, giving him a league-leading eight for the season.
Cruz is now slashing an astounding .354/.404/.854 on the young season, and has hit all of his eight home runs since April 11. Sunday’s homers were his first at Safeco Field this season, which was one of the fears for Cruz considering that he’s played his recent seasons in hitter’s parks. Safeco Field has been known to suppress right-handed power, and for his career Cruz was only a .236-9-19 hitter in 203 at-bats at Seattle before Sunday’s game.
It’s obvious that Cruz won’t keep up this pace the rest of the way, and the combination of his new home park and past streakiness says this is a great opportunity to sell high. Cruz hit half of his 40 homers in the first two months of last season, and turned into a profitable sell-high player for fantasy owners.
Adam Jones Flying High
Nelson Cruz’s former teammate, Adam Jones, hasn’t been far behind among hot hitters. Baltimore’s No. 3 hitter launched his fifth home run of the season on Sunday at Fenway while going 4-for-5 with five RBI.
One of the most consistent hitters in the game over the last four seasons, Jones capped out at 33 home runs and 108 RBI in 2013. He’s clearly seeing the ball better early on, more than cutting his career 19 percent strikeout rate in half to this point. Given that Jones didn’t show any strikeout rate improvement during spring training, it’s more likely the improvement is a hot streak than an actual change in skill.
Regardless, fantasy owners have to be encouraged with the early results. Jones carries a nine-game hitting streak into the week ahead, with the O’s scheduled for a full week of games at Boston, at Toronto, and back home against the Red Sox. Jones has traditionally been a quick starter with a career .816 OPS in April, and he’s holding true to that trend in the early going this season.
American League Quick Hits: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports top White Sox prospect Carlos Rodon will be called up on Monday to join the White Sox bullpen. Rodon looked terrific during the spring, and has a 3.15 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 34.1 innings for his brief minor league career. He’s likely to pick up a rotation spot soon enough, and is a great stash in leagues in which he’s still available … Justin Verlander (triceps) won’t resume throwing until his pain subsides. It looks like his absence could be lengthy … In his return to the mound from a torn patellar tendon, Garrett Richards allowed four runs – three earned – in five innings vs. Houston … Ross Detwiler’s rotation spot could be in jeopardy after allowing five runs in 2.1 innings for Texas … Wade Davis converted his second save of the season by throwing a perfect ninth inning. He will continue to close for the Royals while Greg Holland is on the DL … Omar Infante strained his left groin and is listed as day-to-day … Kelvin Herrera was ejected for throwing behind Brett Lawrie, and a suspension could be pending … Ben Zobrist left Sunday’s game with soreness in his left knee, and is considered day-to-day … Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Jose Reyes (ribs) could return Tuesday … Devon Travis left Sunday’s game after taking a pitch to the left ribcage, but X-rays were negative and he’s considered day-to-day … Ricky Nolasco (elbow) has been cleared for a rehab assignment … Carlos Carrasco (jaw) has had his next start pushed back from Monday to Tuesday so that Trevor Bauer can stay on regular rest.
National League Quick Hits: Mets manager Terry Collins said Jeurys Familia will remain the closer when Bobby Parnell and Vic Black return from injury … Billy Hamilton (groin) was not in the Reds lineup again Sunday, but he said that he was available to pinch run. It sounds like he will return shortly … Yasiel Puig (hamstring) sat out again Sunday after starting Saturday’s game, but he should be back in the lineup on Tuesday … Jordan Walden converted his first save of the season on Sunday, with Trevor Rosenthal unavailable after pitching on Saturday … Joc Pederson has continued his spectacular play from spring training, going 2-for-4 with his second homer on Sunday. He’s now hitting .289-2-6 with one steal on the season … Joaquin Benoit got his first save of the season on Sunday with Craig Kimbrel unavailable after pitching Saturday … Vic Black will undergo an MRI on his shoulder and neck area with his velocity still down during his rehab appearances … Patrick Corbin will throw batting practice on Tuesday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery. He’s eyeing a June return, and could be a clever stash for fantasy owners … Jordy Mercer is day-to-day after taking a pitch to the ribs … Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder) still doesn’t have a timetable for when he will throw off a mound. The Dodgers continue to use a merry-go-round of fifth starters to replace him … Charlie Morton (hip) threw a 55-pitch bullpen session on Friday.
