The New York Mets received minimal production from the catcher position all season, and bringing in Robinson Chirinos at the trade deadline did nothing to change that. At 36-years old, the veteran catcher did hit 100 points better with the Mets.
Robinson Chirinos legs out an infield single to extend the Mets (+114 ML) lead to 3-1#BarstoolSportsbook
— Bet The Bases (@betthebases) September 24, 2020
Chirinos struggled mightily as a member of the Texas Rangers. He went 5-for-42 with a .119 batting average in 14 games and was a very questionable acquisition by Brodie Van Wagenen. The Mets had Tomas Nido healthy and ready to return from the COVID injured list, but the Mets opted to go outside the organization for another catcher.
Time in Queens
During his month with the Mets, he received consistent playing time and found some consistency with the bat. Chirinos had seven hits in 32 tries and hit his only home run of the season. His defense behind the plate was anything but consistent, with four wild pitches and failing to throw out a runner in five attempts.
Chirinos hitting struggles likely came from half of his batted balls being on the ground and only an 84.5 average exit velocity. He also only had one ball hit on the barrel all season and showed a much longer swing than he had in the past. The pitch framing also continued to hamper his game as he had a -2 runs extra strikes.
At this point, Chirinos is just a platoon catcher who can do damage against lefties (.259 AVG, .444 SLG). He is heading into his age-37 season and only hit .162 on the season with poor defense. Chirinos has an option year for the 2021 season. The $1 million buy out to decline it seems like pettiness for the Wilpons to leave Steve Cohen to spend money on a player he does not want. There is no future for him with the Mets and likely only receives minor league offers in the offseason.
2020 Grades On 20-80 Scale (2021 Projection)
Hitting: 20 (20), Only one season over .250 in his career.
Power: 20 (30), Career .431 slugging.
Run: 20 (20), Might be slower than Wilson Ramos (5.01 average home to first time).
Arm: 35 (30), -2 stolen base runs saved in 2020.
Field: 25 (20), -5 defensive runs saved in 2020.
Overall: 20 (20), Hard to believe there is anything left for Chirinos in 2021.