Rewind to early 2015, and the Mets would have had a burgeoning star on their hands in catcher Devin Mesoraco.
On May 8, 2018, the Mets acquired a player from the Reds in exchange for Matt Harvey who provides a veteran option for their depleted catching corps. That’s about it, unless the Mets can unlock the potential that made the Reds peg him as their franchise catcher three years ago, before various injuries reversed his career trajectory.
After making his debut with the Reds late in the 2011 season, Mesoraco was listed as the organization’s top prospect by “Baseball America” heading into 2012. The 2007 first-round pick appeared in just 54 games in 2012, producing enough to earn a permanent big league spot for 2013.
During Mesoraco’s breakout 2014 season, he smacked 25 home runs and 80 RBIs to go along with a .273 batting average, earning him a spot on his first All-Star team and a place in the Reds history books. He joined Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, a Reds lifer from 1967-83, as the only Cincinnati catcher to hit at least 25 homers and 80 RBIs in a season.
Mesoraco barely had a chance to cash in on the four-year, $28 million contract extension he signed with the Reds as a result of his success, opting to undergo season-ending left hip surgery after playing just 23 games of the 2015 season. Left hip pain became a left shoulder problem in 2016, as Mesoraco had surgery on a torn labrum, limiting him to 16 games.
In the meantime, the Reds were grooming 2009 10th-round pick Tucker Barnhart, who has assumed the majority of the starts behind the plate since 2016. So when Mesoraco went down with a left foot injury last August, after being hit by a pitch from Cubs pitcher Jose Quintana, the Reds didn’t flinch. Barnhart didn’t show as much pop, hitting seven home runs and 44 RBIs during the 2017 season, but he earned a Gold Glove Award for his defensive efforts.
For all of the question marks surrounding Mesoraco’s play in 2018, the Mets are excited about the option of throwing someone other than the struggling Tomas Nido and Jose Lobaton into the lineup. Since being called up in mid-April, with Opening Day catchers Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki both hitting the disabled list, Nido and Lobaton have 12 hits combined in 77 at-bats.
“We get a veteran guy — a guy that when healthy has played really well,” Mets special assistant J.P. Ricciardi said after the trade for Mesoraco became official. “I think that brings a little more consistency to the position. Since we lost the two guys we have probably lacked a little of that, so I think he will help us in that area.”
Quickly switching into a Mets uniform before Tuesday night’s game against his old team, the 29-year-old Mesoraco had the chance to ponder a new beginning from the dugout.
