The defensive minded Tomas Nido did not have much production at the plate, but he gained the vote of confidence from Noah Syndergaard thanks to his defensive ability. Nido struggled to find consistent playing time over Wilson Ramos, but still had an important role as the Mets backup catcher.
"As a manager, you can't make everybody happy"
Mickey Callaway notes that although Noah Syndergaard's ERA is better with Tomas Nido, he has a better win-loss record with Wilson Ramos: pic.twitter.com/exjpJpmGxh
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 10, 2019
Nido only .191 with four home runs and 14 RBIs in 50 games (38 starts). His first half was very respectable as he hit .256, compared to a very ugly .093 during the second half. His pitch framing was very strong, but he was very mediocre at throwing runners out. Only 8 percent of baserunners were thrown out and it certainly does not help when he has to catch Syndergaard, who is poor at holding baserunners close.
d’Arnaud or Nido?
The Mets gave the cheaper and younger option of Nido the opportunity to back up early in the season. They decided to quickly cut ties with their long time catcher after a brutal start of the season. Turns out, the Mets were dead wrong with giving up on d’Arnaud who found a home in Tampa Bay.
Travis d’Arnaud batting cleanup in playoff game. Amazing!!!!
— Mike Francesa (@MikeFrancesa) October 3, 2019
Nico seemed to securely have the backup role heading into 2020 as the Mets expect his bat to come around. As a backup, he does not have to hit like Ramos, but his defense needs to be top notch to keep his job past 2020.
Grades:
Offense: F
Defense: D
Baserunning: Not on base enough to evaluate
Intangibles: C
Overall: D
The Mets have very little catching prospects, Nido will get a chance to prove his worth again in 2020.