Kevin Plawecki

Entering the 2020 season, Plawecki had topped a .225 batting average and a .685 OPS in only one of his six major-league seasons. However, he rode the small sample and a .403 BABIP to .341 batting average and a career best 134 wRC+ and .857 OPS. There was little explanation for Plawecki's huge spike in production, as his barrel rate, hard hit rate, and max exit velocity all fell, or remained in line with his established baselines. As a result, he vastly outperformed his expected stats, leaving little to no reason to expect a repeat of his success in 2021. It's also difficult to set expectations for Plawekci defensively, as his metrics have fluctuated quite significantly throughout his career. Despite it being unclear exactly what he will contribute, the Red Sox signed Plawecki to a one-year deal, during which he will serve as the backup catcher behind Christian Vazquez.

Plawecki looked to be in line for a fairly even split of catching duties with Roberto Perez in his first season in Cleveland. However, Perez experienced an offensive renaissance while Plawecki's numbers fell off, so he wound up making just 46 starts to Perez's 115. Plawecki's batting average ticked up slightly from .210 to .222, but his lack of power and walks meant that his wRC+ plummeted from 93 to 63. Five seasons into his big-league career, he looks firmly like a backup catcher, with little hope of being anything more after signing a one-year deal with Boston. He's never come to the plate more than 300 times in a season and owns a career .218/.304/.332 slash line with just 17 homers in 297 games. Even if he ends up with an unexpectedly large share of at-bats this season, there's not much here to interest fantasy owners in most leagues.

Coming off his best season (107 wRC+ in 118 PA), Plawecki opened the 2018 campaign sharing catching duties with Travis d'Arnaud. It wasn't long before Plawecki assumed the lead role when d'Arnaud was shelved after Tommy John surgery. Not long thereafter, Plawecki broke his hand getting hit by a pitch. When he returned in late May, he was in a timeshare with Devin Mesoraco. Plawecki failed to build on the previous year's success, posting a 93 wRC+ in 277 plate appearances. However, his defense was above average which has become increasingly important in recent seasons. This should be enough to assure Plawecki at least a 50-50 workload split following a January trade to Cleveland, but unless he reverts back to 2017 form at the plate, which is unlikely, he won't be worth a spot in an active fantasy lineup, even in deep, two-catcher formats.

Plawecki performed well in a part-time role for the Mets last season, hitting .260/.364/.400 in 118 plate appearances, good for a 106 wRC+ that ranked 13th among catchers with at least 100 plate appearances. The strong batting line was a surprise compared to his two previous stints in the majors, when he posted on-base and slugging percentages below .300. However, Plawecki hit .328/.375/.514 over 275 plate appearances at Triple-A Las Vegas last season, following a similar line at that level the year before. A similarly productive season next year could see Plawecki take the starting catcher job from teammate Travis d'Arnaud, who posted a 91 wRC+ last season. It likely won't be Plawecki's job out of camp, but he should at least start on the major-league roster and could easily steal the job if his performance continues to improve.

Plawecki suffered through a rocky rookie campaign in 2015, and although some believed he'd be better served getting everyday experience in the minors, he made the Opening Day roster as the backup catcher. An early-season injury to Travis d'Arnaud seemingly paved the way for a regular role, but Plawecki's struggles against big league pitching persisted, leading to a timeshare with Rene Rivera and eventually a demotion back to the minors. The 25-year-old did well with Triple-A Las Vegas, hitting .300 with an OPS of .832, but it just hasn't carried over yet to the majors. On the plus side, he demonstrated a decent eye at the plate and will likely improve upon a low .255 BABIP, and he's a solid pitch framer. However, it's hard to ignore Plawecki's horrid MLB numbers (58 wRC+ in 409 plate appearances). Rivera was brought back to serve as d'Arnaud's backup this season, so Plawecki should get everyday work at Triple-A until a need arises at the big league level.

The Mets turned to Plawecki after Travis d'Arnaud went down with an injury in late April, and the results in 73 games with the big club suggest he was not ready. His plate discipline unraveled against major-league pitching, as Plawecki struck out at a 23.3% clip while walking just 6.6% of the time, leading to a .576 OPS in 258 plate appearances. He had not posted a strikeout rate over 14 percent at any of his stops in the minors. Things only got worse down the stretch as Plawecki limped to a .148 average over the final month of the season (4-for-27) and did not log a single at-bat during the team's postseason run. He was able to offset his lack of offensive production to a certain extent in real life with his ability behind the dish, and the Mets may have Plawecki split time with d'Arnaud this season. Plawecki's ceiling is capped by his modest power, and the floor he showed in 2015 will likely keep him only on the margins of mixed-league consideration.

As a catcher with close proximity to the big leagues and the defense to stick behind the plate, Plawecki has some value. After being drafted with the 35th pick in the 2012 draft, Plawecki has hit at every level, sporting a .295/.372/.439 slash line in two-plus seasons in the minor leagues. He had 11 home runs and 24 doubles in 419 plate appearances between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Las Vegas in 2014, so there’s a chance that he could offer 15-homer pop over a full season as a big leaguer. He will return to Las Vegas to start the 2015 campaign, as he played just 43 games at that level last season, but he may be blocked when he is ready for a promotion to the majors. Travis d’Arnaud is the team’s catcher of the future, but Plawecki should eventually displace Anthony Recker as d’Arnaud’s backup.

Plawecki, selected as first-round supplemental pick in 2012 out of Purdue, had a breakthrough 2013 campaign. He posted a .311/.388/.492 line with six home runs and 43 RBI in 65 games at Low-A Savannah to earn a promotion to High-A St. Lucie. Plawecki continued his fine play at St. Lucie and finished the season with a 42:53 BB:K in 521 plate appearances, and that steady eye at the plate has been a hallmark of his career. He is solid defensively, receiving pitches well and calling games effectively, but is just mediocre in terms of throwing out runners. Plawecki should hit for average in his career and provide decent power, and he will likely start 2014 back at St. Lucie.