No New York Mets player will be more active during the 2015 World Series than Travis d'Arnaud.
The catcher for the Mets has not yet missed a postseason game. D'Arnaud should, so long as he remains healthy, be behind the plate for every pitch made by the Mets against the Kansas City Royals. The task at hand will be that much more difficult for the Mets if d'Arnaud is not, for whatever reasons, at his best.
His World Series got off to a rough start on Tuesday night.
With d'Arnaud crouched behind the dish, Matt Harvey began the bottom of the first inning by tossing a fastball over the plate. Alcides Escobar, to the surprise of nobody who watched him in the American League Championship Series, came out swinging. Escobar smashed a ball deep into center field, and Michael Conforto and Yoenis Cespedes failed to properly communicate on who would play the ball.
Cespedes followed that up with a pair of miscues that allowed Escobar to complete his journey around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.
Harvey and d'Arnaud not only needed to be on the same page before Harvey took the hill; both should have realized that tempting Escobar so early in the game was unwise. This point was not lost on ESPN analyst Buster Olney, who immediately questioned the pitch after Escobar scored.
What is particularly upsetting about that early mistake for fans of the Mets is that d'Arnaud has been terrific behind the plate for much of the playoffs. D'Arnaud is currently, per ESPN Stats and Info, the best catcher in Major League Baseball as it pertains to getting strike calls for pitchers. His ability to "frame" pitches during the National League Championship Series earned d'Arnaud praise from analysts and fans.
As Jonah Kari of Grantland pointed out in September, d'Arnaud has not always been known for his defensive skills:
Improvement has come behind the plate, too. As a rookie last season, d’Arnaud led the National League with 12 passed balls (in 105 games behind the plate); this year he’s allowed just one (in 53 games as a catcher). Last year, opposing base-stealers ran wild on d’Arnaud, swiping 58 bags in 72 attempts — marking a lousy 19 percent caught stealing rate. This year, they’ve stolen 26 times in 38 tries, good for a much improved 32 percent caught stealing rate. Amid that improvement, d’Arnaud has remained one of the better pitch-framers in the game, ranking 13th this year (and 14th last year) in that category per StatCorner.com.
The Royals will continue to be aggressive at the plate and on the basepaths during the World Series. It is what has gotten the club to within three wins of a championship. This was not lost on Kevin Kernan of the New York Post as he was previewing the World Series:
The Royals steal bases, go first to third and even first to home as (Lorenzo) Cain did to send the Blue Jays packing in the ALCS.
The pressure will be on catcher Travis d’Arnaud.
“We just have to execute,’’ he said. “We’re definitely ready for this challenge. We all believe in each other and that’s all we can really do. Get your work in and get your routines down and just go out there and play the game. It’s tough to know what is going to happen. All I can do is be best prepared for it as I can.’’
ESPN's Olney spotted something concerning while watching d'Arnaud during a Mets' workout session on Monday:
The Royals tested d'Arnaud and his comfort in the bottom of the sixth of Game 1.
With Kendrys Morales at the plate and the Mets leading 3-2, Cain took a short lead from first. Cain broke for second when it could have been argued that d'Arnaud should have called for a pitchout. The New York catcher came up firing, but the throw from d'Arnaud was late and well off the mark.
Cain scored the tying run later in the inning.
It would, of course, be only a plus for the Mets is d'Arnaud were to catch fire as a hitter during the World Series. The same can be said about anybody in the New York lineup. D'Arnaud is currently batting just .200 in the playoffs, 68 points under what he averaged in the regular season (h/t ESPN). The Mets need better from his spot in the order.
What d'Arnaud will provide the Mets as a catcher, though, could make or break the team during the World Series.
Calling smart games. Keeping pitchers from being overwhelmed by the moment. Earning strikes for starters and relievers. Preventing the Royals from taking extra bases. D'Arnaud must be spot-on in these aspects. He wasn't in Game 1, and the Mets lost.
He will hope to have at least four more nights to redeem himself.
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