The Mets invited a total of four non-roster invitee catchers to major league camp this year. Francisco Alvarez is the star prospect in the group. The three other catchers are all competing for positioning on the all important depth chart.
Nick Dini is the local catcher. Born in Monroe, NJ, Dini went to Wagner College in Staten Island. He was drafted by the Royals in 2015 in round 14 and made his major league debut at age 25 in the year 2019. That year he went .196/.270/.357 over 64 PA’s in 20 games. Last year he played for Omaha and hit .303/.357/.494 over 26 games and 98 PA’s.
Nick Dini’s calling card in the minors has been his offense. He has a .921 OPS in Omaha in his career! That clearly didn’t translate to the majors when he had an opportunity in 2019. But that was a couple of years ago. The Mets are hoping that if they need to call on him this year, he can show that promise that he has shown in AAA ball, especially as the Mets wait for Francisco Alvarez to be ready.
