Kevin Plawecki Shines In Debut For Red-Hot Mets
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Now that was a major league debut to remember.
Kevin Plawecki showed he was up to the challenge of filling in for Travis d'Arnaud on Tuesday night. The touted catching prospect went 2 for 4 with two runs and made a heads-up defensive play in the sixth inning, grabbing a pitch that bounced in the dirt and throwing out Atlanta's Andrelton Simmons at second base.
"I felt comfortable after that first at-bat," Plawecki said after the 7-1 win over the Braves, according to MLB.com. "I was just happy to make contact to be honest. After that I was pretty excited. I just got back to playing baseball."
The 24-year-old was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas after d'Arnaud, who was off to a hot start, suffered a fractured finger during a hit-by-pitch on Sunday. One scout told the New York Post that Plawecki "could even be better" than the injured starter.
"He told me I was ready and to play my game and trust myself," Plawecki said of d'Arnaud.
The Carmel, Indiana native played his college ball at Purdue and was selected in the supplemental first round (35th pick) -- a compensatory pick for losing Jose Reyes -- of the 2012 MLB Draft.
"He's going to be a big league player for a long time," Mets manager Terry Collins said of Plawecki, whose parents were in attendance at Citi Field. "We're very, very lucky that we have the kind of kids that come up and we don't miss a beat."
Starting pitcher Jon Niese (2-0) said Plawecki was tremendous behind the plate, too.
"It was like he'd been there a time or two," Niese said. "He kept his composure and called a great game. He and I were on the same page pretty much all night."
The Mets are also without David Wright (hamstring) and left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins (broken forearm).
But that hasn't slowed them down. Tuesday night's win was New York's ninth straight and the Mets are a perfect 8-0 at home. The Amazin's share MLB's best record at 11-3 with a three-game Subway Series looming at Yankee Stadium this weekend.
