What can we expect from Travis d'Arnaud in 2015?

Travis d'Arnaud has been traded twice already in his brief professional career, and some believe that he will be nothing more than an average offensive catcher with less than stellar defense. Injuries have plagued the soon-to-be 26 year old backstop, but the youngster is primed to take a big leap in 2015. 

A few years ago, the Mets had little-to-no catching depth, and now they have two backstops with a very high ceiling. Both d'Arnaud and top prospect Kevin Plawecki appear to be ready for New York, but the former should start the season as the starter on the major league squad. d'Arnaud only has 533 plate appearances to his name, but his hot finish at the end of 2014 solidified his short term future with the club.

Courtest of nypost.com

After being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas, he hit .272/.319/.486 with 10 HR and 32 RBI in 69 games. While the numbers don't exactly jump out at you, it is fair to temper your expectations for a catcher's offensive production. Not every catcher needs to be Yadier Molina, thus explaining why the Mets were content with d'Arnaud's 2014 performance. Fans seem more concerned with Travis' defense, however, as he only threw out 19% of the runners that challenged him last season. Also, he led the league in passed balls with 12. 

When d'Arnaud came up two years ago, he was compared to Mike Piazza. Clearly that comparison is inaccurate as he doesn't possess the massive power that Piazza once had, but it's reasonable to expect d'Arnaud to work his defense up to Piazza's level, as he wasn't exactly a gold glover out on the field. 

Courtest of rantsports.com

In terms of his long term future, d'Arnaud will need to have a great 2015 performance in order to secure his job. As mentioned earlier, Kevin Plawecki is waiting in the wings at Triple-A Las Vegas, and should be ready by mid-season. The 23 year old hit .309/.365/.460 in Binghamton and Las Vegas last year, and, according to scouts, plays above average defense. By not trading Plawecki this winter, it's clear that the Mets front office has some questions about d'Arnaud, specifically his defense, and have chosen the wait-and-see approach. 

Personally, I think Plawecki will be with the major league team one way or another come this summer. Whether it is as a starter or backup, I'm not sure, but he is on the cusp of being called up. If d'Arnaud gets off to a slow start, the media will more than likely be questioning his role with the squad. 

For the sake of this article, I will post my predictions for d'Arnaud if he happens to play the entire season with the team. 

2015 predictions for d'Arnaud: .260/.310/.440, 15 HR, 70 RBI, 24 CS % (Caught Stealing %)