Kevin Plawecki, C
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 205 lbs.
Age: 22
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Kevin Plawecki doesn’t quite have the ceiling as Travis d’Arnaud but he’s a nice prospect in his own right. He was drafted in the supplemental first round of the 2012 draft out of Purdue University; a draft in which catching was scarce. He’s probably a better natural hitter than d’Arnaud but does not have the same power potential. His swing is short and quick resulting in good contact and a ton of line drives so he does have the potential to hit .300. The organization is moving Plawecki up the ladder at somewhat of a snail’s pace and I don’t understand why because his hitting approach is quite advanced and he’s already 22.
Across Savannah and St. Lucie last season Plawecki slashed .305/.390/.448 in 449 AB’s with 8 HR’s and 80 RBI’s. Also impressive were his 42 BB’s, compared to 53 K’s, which tell you his patient approach will yield a very good OBP with low strikeout numbers. As he adds more strength, naturally his gap to gap power will result in more home runs but I don’t think he’ll ever hit more than 20 in any season of his career. He’ll probably end up a 10-15 homer player but that’s still more than acceptable power production from behind the plate, especially if he’s putting up those kind of numbers with a borderline .300 average. He doesn’t have the greatest arm behind the plate but he supposedly has a quick release that still allows him to nail his fair share of baserunners. On top of that, he’s a great receiver and knows how to handle a pitching staff so he should have no trouble sticking as a backstop.
Outlook: Right now the organization sees Travis d’Arnaud as the catcher of the future so unless he fails, you’d have to wonder if Plawecki ever sees Citi Field. There’s a few different paths that Plawecki could take to the majors. If d’Arnaud is a complete bust, than Plawecki is nice insurance and should get an opportunity with the Mets to prove his worth. If Travis d’Arnaud reaches his potential and the Mets truly do have a franchise catcher on their hands, Plawecki could be a nice trade piece to help bring an impact bat to Citi Field. If he can continue to put up good offensive numbers in the upper levels of the minors while proving he can stick behind the plate, he should have no problem finding himself in the top 100 MLB prospects by the time he is big league ready. The fact that he is a catcher would increase his value as well because catchers who can hit are becoming awfully hard to find these days. Lastly, and the least likely scenario, is that Plawecki could be moved to first base if his skills behind the plate are deemed unworthy. Plawecki simply won’t hit for enough power to even be considered an average first baseman so hopefully that is not the case. He’ll most likely begin the year in Binghamton and if he hits there, the Mets would be smart to move him up to Las Vegas by the end of the season so he starts to turn some heads and draw some attention from other teams.
(Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty)
