So for the better part of three years, the Mets seemed to have solved one half of their catching situation.
Josh Thole was a perfectly adequate platoon partner. He is lefty, hits righties at a .739 OPS clip, and is young and cheap.
But Thole, it appears, will be arbitration-eligible this winter for the first time, meaning he is about to become less cheap. He will be 26 in October, meaning he is distinctly less young (aren’t we all, though?). And it isn’t clear that he is the same player he’s been.
Consider that since he returned from a concussion earlier this year-and that wasn’t his first one-Thole is hitting .240/.294/.285 in 196 plate appearances. It is easily his worst stretch since he started the 2011 season hitting .207/.280/.241 in his first 122 plate appearances. So it isn’t unprecedented, but it also argues against Thole having developed any, and leaves open the uneasy possibility that the concussions have taken their toll.
One argument for why his numbers have dipped precipitously relative to 2011 is the number of at-bats against lefties he’s had in 2012; just under 24 percent of them in 2012, after facing lefties just 10 percent of the time in 2011. But his numbers against righties aren’t much better in 2012 than his numbers against lefties, with his strong side of the platoon split down to just a .636 OPS in 2012.
What is so frustrating about this development is that the Mets finally have, in Kelly Shoppach, the perfect platoon partner for the 2009-2011 Josh Thole. Shoppach eats lefties for breakfast (metaphorically, of course), so in a perfect world, Thole recovers, and the Mets have a low-cost catching tandem that won’t prevent the 2013 Mets from contending. (They have plenty of other weaknesses to make that happen.)
But Thole’s regression has me wondering if Kelly Shoppach is auditioning for more than just a platoon role on next year’s Mets. Is Thole going to be worth what the Mets would have to pay him in arbitration this winter? Is he still capable of providing enough pop from the left side to justify the platoon? It isn’t as obvious to me as it was a few months ago; and I’m betting it isn’t to the Mets decision-makers, either.
11 Comments
Arbitration? Where’s Josh going to go, to the Slippery Rock Mud Hens? Nice kid, but he’s there only because of the Wilpon’s frugality. Once that reality ends, he’s burnt toast and they bring up a younger and cheaper (and even worse) version of himself, or sign another over the hill 500 grand product that nobody else wants.
His arbitration raise should be fairly modest given his horrible season. If the Mets think there is any chance he can bounce back, they should probably retain him unless they are interested in spending some real money to upgrade the position.
Two notes….
1) In no way or shape is Shoppach an everyday catcher. He can hit lefties, and well, but he can’t touch righties. Giving him more AB’s is ignoring his history.
2) Josh Thole is not an everyday catcher. His defense is poor, he can’t hit for any power, and his sole skill of hitting for average seems to have been fool’s gold too – he hasn’t done much of that in years.
Two points:
Returning from an injury – He suffered a concussion…it takes a while…look at DWright this year after last year, and what about Ike’s 2nd half after missing most of last year.
Defense – Thole’s defense is vastly underrated. If you look at advanced stats such as Defensive Runs Saved Thole is Second in all of baseball…That’s right second. The only catcher better is Yadier Molina, and he’s no defensive slouch.
Howie, you and Mets fans need to look at the bigger problems with the Mets…bullpen and outfield. Not only are they bad, but they are among the worst in all baseball.
Thole is not the problem!
Yesterday on WFAN New York, Terry Collins told Mike Francesca that they had messed up Thole by trying to get him to pull the ball more. Mike replied that they should not have done that because Thole is a choke up type and not a power hitter.
Collins said that he agreed that it was a mistake and that now they have gone back to telling Thole to choke up and hit like he used to.
So there is an admission from the manager that they messed up Thole.
It makes you wonder how many other Met batters have they messed up.
Gee, the Mets screwing up one of their young players? That’s impossible!
Thole’s a good guy and a great team player, but his CAREER averages have declined each year he’s been in the league. He has established himself as a .265 hitter with zero power and average defense. What is the argument for keeping him? Even if Thole returns to the slap hitter he used to be, he is unlikely to become a .300 hitter; if he did, it would be a punchless .300 and since he has no speed, he’d be clogging up the bases.
However, if Megdal is suggesting that Shoppach is being groomed for the #1 spot next year, there’s no basis for that idea either since he does not hit righthanders well.
Better to acquire a lefty-hitting backstop with good D and/or a little power and platoon him with Shoppach in 2013.
Pop from the left side of the plate? Thole has NO pop at all. He is a slap-hitting, singles hitter. It should be a very easy decision for the Mets; his production at the plate does not offset his horrible defense & he doesn’t belong on this team.
Based on what Sandy said recently,they’re ready to trade and buy, albeit payrol not being much more than this year.With that inention, there are other areas that need serious improvement before the catcher position(especially in light that they have shopach now.Josh is tolerable for now)..Other areas need help first and i think many of the fans would want any money being spent in those areas that are far worse, than catcher area..
For those of you who are suggesting that “all” the Mets need to do is find a lefty-hitting catcher with good pop and good D to platoon with Shoppach….look around the league, do you see an overabundance of catchers fittnig that description?
Thole’s offensive slide is definitely concerning, but unless the team is going to over pay for a player that probably isn’t the difference between the playoffs and not, Thole is and should be, very much in the mix for playing time at catcher next season.
At under 500 grand and with the Mets predicted payroll, he’ll have a job until he comes up for arbitration or free agency.