Maybe Travis d'Arnaud Doesn't Suck

@kmflemming @GetsThruBuckner @RisingAppleBlog sorry K, but that's nuts. TdA is a .300 hitter if healthy. You watch this year.
— Doug Plourd (@DougPlourd) March 13, 2014

This was the result of a discussion regarding which young pieces the Mets should be willing to part with in order to trade for a good, young shortstop. When asked if I would throw d'Arnaud in on a trade to get one, I barely hesitated, 2013 still very fresh on my mind. It is then that Doug scolded me for my insolence.

And Doug might be right. There is a distinct possibility that I am looking at way too small of a portion of TdA's body of work. To me, he looked a bit lost at the plate last year, beyond even a rookie struggling to adjust. There didn't seem to be a problem with his approach but just his performance, as he was not making good contact and was not driving the ball almost at all. To me, it looked like he was in way over his head. Hopefully, the comfort level he'll find in this being his second year will alleviate a bit of that.

Doug went on to say that d'Arnaud looks much better this Spring Training, and because of the multitude of day games, most of the Mets baseball I have consumed thus far this March have been on the radio. Like many fans, the last visual I have of the young catcher is last year.

So Doug has inspired me to take a new, unbiased look at d'Arnaud. There must be a reason he consistently ranks as highly as he does in prospect reports. Perhaps I'm just still so scarred from all of the "can't miss, sure thing" prospects that have made their way through the Mets system and failed miserably. Fernando Martinez, all of Generation K. It can be tough to be optimistic about a young player with that kind of track record. But, in the interest of fairness and not having any other options, I will be blocking 2013 out of my mind when I watch d'Arnaud this year, and will judge this season on it's own merits.

Let's hope Doug's right.