mets catching fiasco

Okay, maybe there is no "fiasco" per say but it has been a hot topic for the past few days. The next two days are the last home games the Mets will have this month. Also, it was just announced that catcher Travis d'Arnaud will be making his return to the big leagues just 15 days after being sent down. Now, is he ready? Personally, I have to two opinions about this whole thing:

Travis was essentially demoted for under performing. His batting average was not near where it should have been and really he was just a liability at the plate and a poor offensive player. While in Las Vegas, Travis' hot streak literally seem to come out of nowhere. All of a sudden he was hitting with a .436 average with six homers, eight doubles and sixteen RBIs. Those stats are pretty good...they are REALLY GOOD. 

 All the talk of Travis' "confidence" has been brought up a lot. Allegedly, he had lost all of it while in his slump. He's had a "hot bat" in Vegas according to Terry Collins and it's definitely going to be something to watch to see if he brings it back to New York. So I guess this was all for him to regain his confidence. No doubt, the reality of losing his job most likely caused him to pull himself together and start performing but I question, what if he's not as hot as in Vegas? After all, he's back in the big leagues now. It can be hard to remember what a player used to be like when they've under performed for so long. d'Arnaud being a former number 1 prospect for the Mets has amazing potential. He's shown it before and hopefully we see it again...soon...very soon. 

The other issue facing the Mets is now that Travis is back, the future for both Anthony Recker -- who has been with the team for a season now -- and Taylor Teagarden -- who was called up to the majors after d'Arnaud was sent down -- is now in question. For now, Anthony Recker remains part of the roster as Teagarden was placed on the disabled list due to a strained left hamstring. [*Quick side note: What the heck happened to Teagarden? He didn't even play yesterday. Where did this injury come from??] But when he comes off what will the Mets do? Well, I think Taylor Teagarden should be sent back down. Although he has been pretty good offensively, especially with his first career grand slam a few weeks ago, Anthony Recker is more of a power player. He has been striking out quite a bit recently BUT I do think he has a little more potential [to CONSISTENTLY drive in runs] than Teagarden. Not to mention that Recker wears more than one hat. Not only is he a catcher but when push comes to shove, he can step up and pitch a pretty good game. We've seen it before and just a few weeks ago it nearly came to that once again during a 14-inning game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Overall, I just think that it's a better idea to keep Recker.

Well, in a few weeks, we shall have the answer to all of our hot, burning questions (not that hot) and find out how everything works out with the catching situation.