State of the System 2020: Catcher

Francisco Alvarez Steve Sypa For many years, the catcher depth was a problem for the Mets. After developing Josh Thole, who made his major league debut in 2009, it seemed that the Mets would have a glut of riches in Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki. While both did indeed make the majors, both struggled and have since moved on from the Mets.

One of the top talents available worldwide during the 2013-2014 international signing period, the Mets signed Venezuelan catcher Ali Sanchez for $690,000 and hoped that he would be able to develop into the next great Venezuelan catcher. While that hasn’t exactly been the case, the 23-year-old Sanchez hit an acceptable .261/.326/.322 in 92 games split…