New York Mets catcher Kelly Shoppach has only been with the team for several weeks after he was acquired from The Boston Red Sox, but it hasn’t taken him a long time to make his mark with The Metropolitans. Through 11 games played as a Maet, Shoppach has a .303 batting average along with three homers and nine runs batted in. In Shoppach’s second game with The Mets, he went yard against The Washington Nationals. Shoppach’s numbers stand out due to The Mets lack of production at the catching position. Catchers Jose Thole, Rob Johnson, and Mike Nickeas have combined to hit two home runs for the entire season while none of the catchers from this trio has a batting average over .250.
Shoppach just finds a way to get the big hit as well. On August 28 against The Philadelphia Phillies, Shoppach hit a two-run home run in the top of the 10th inning that allowed The Mets to extend their two-run lead into a four-run cushion en route to a 9-5 victory in Philadelphia. Last Saturday against The Miami Marlins, the Mets entered the top of the ninth inning trailing 3-1. Shoppach stepped to the plate with the bases loaded with two outs and The Mets trailing 3-2. Shoppach got a base hit to center field that was misplayed by Marlins center fielder Justin Ruggiano which allowed all three base runners to score while Shoppach ended up at third base.
At 6′ 0″, 220 lbs., Shoppach is built like an old-school catcher in that scruffy, tough-guy form. Shoppach is bringing a toughness to The Mets that they have lacked for a long time. As much flack that former Mets catcher Mike Piazza received for not being a “great” defensive catcher, he went out there everyday and took a beating while he was consistently being hit by foul balls, but he never complained. Prior to Shoppach, The Mets have lacked a tough-nosed catcher behind the plate since Piazza. While it isn’t a slight to Thole who suffered a concussion earlier this season after a collision at home-plate with Phillies infielder Ty Wigginton, he just appears to lack that edge that The Mets need behind the plate.
The Mets might have caught lightning in a bottle with Shoppach as he is scheduled to become a free-agent at the end of the season which means that he is looking for his next contract. Shoppach is a lifetime .229 hitter with an on-base percentage of .395. You don’t know if and when the other shoe will drop for this 32-year old as far as his production, but Shoppach is worth the risk of Mets general manager Sandy Alderson giving him a two-year deal. Thole has been The Mets regular catcher since 2010 and his production as a hitter has only gotten worse since his rookie season. Thole is currently batting .237 with one home run and 19 runs batted in on the year.
Shoppach has been to the postseason on three occasions during his eight-year career. In 2007, Shoppach was a member of The Cleveland Indians as they were one win away from The World Series. In the previous two seasons, Shoppach was member of The Tampa Bays. Shoppach was a former Red Sox farmhand that found his way back to Boston at the start of this season, but was shipped out of town when a cloud of controversy located itself over him. Shoppach was involved in the infamous incident earlier in the summer where he reportedly used former Red Sox teammate Adrian Gonzalez’s cell phone to text Red Sox management about the player’s disapproval of current Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine. Whether it is true or not, Shoppach was sent packing, but The Mets have welcomed him with open arms.
The Mets need a few edgy tough guys on this team going forward in the mold of former Mets such as Keith Hernandez and Wally Backman if they want compete in The National League East. If The Mets decide to keep Shoppach past this season, he would most likely platoon with Thole for 2013. As of now, The Mets and Shoppach appear to be a good fit for each other.
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