Devin Mesoraco's big night is a glimpse of his All Star potential

by Tim Fitzpatrick May 16, 2018 0 Comments

With 12 runs scored on a rain-soaked Tuesday evening matchup against Toronto, the Mets surpassed their run total from the entire week prior. It was a cathartic experience for a team that desperately needed an offensive jolt.

One of the stars of the night’s explosion was newly-acquired catcher Devin Mesoraco, who went 2-for-2 with three walks and four runs scored. As Mark Simon tweeted late Tuesday night, it was the most runs scored by a Met with two or fewer hits in nearly a decade, when Carlos Beltran and Luis Castillo both did it in the same game.

This stat is kind of dorky, but I'll take it

Devin Mesoraco is the first Mets player with at least 4 runs scored and 2 or fewer hits since Carlos Beltrán and Luis Castillo did it vs Yankees in 2008.

They did it in the Carlos Delgado 9-RBI game
— Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) May 16, 2018

Mesoraco’s ninth inning 383-foot home run capped off the huge night, his second dinger in his short time with the Mets. It was an offensive display that showed Mets fans the potential of the backstop who was an All Star in 2014.

Just like Matt Harvey was a lottery ticket for the Reds, so too is Mesoraco to the Mets. Over the past three years, Mesoraco's career has been seriously derailed by a myriad of injuries (broken foot, torn labrum, multiple hip surgeries). Still, Mesoraco boasts plenty of pop. He hit 25 home runs in 114 games with a respectable .273/.359/.534 slash line in '14, the last season he played more than 56 games. With the way the Mets' catching situation has completely stripped their lineup of its length, any production even close to that line from Mesoraco would be a Godsend.

This is not to claim that Mesoraco will be the offensive savior for the Mets. His injury history is clearly troubling, and the nature of the catcher position lends itself to guys getting beat up behind the plate. Hip injuries in particular are difficult to recover from and have the potential to lead to more (just ask the aforementioned Delgado, whose hip issues forced him into retirement). However, if Mesoraco can hold himself together until Kevin Plawecki returns, a more even time-split between the two backstops could help 29-year-old stave off the injury bug for at least the 2018 season.

Mesoraco showed Tuesday night that there still might be a little bit of that 2014 magic left in him. All that he needs to is a little bit of injury luck, something he's certainly long overdue for. If the Mets can get it, it could be an offensive game changer.

Photo credit: Joe Amaturo/Sportsday Wire