Each year at 213 we look through the Non-Roster Invitees to spring training and get to know them a bit. Are they in camp to get a look at big league hitting/pitching to aid their development? Are the Mets just trying to get a better look at a future rookie? Are they a veteran trying to get back to the major league level? What can we expect from them this season?
The title here doesn’t cut it- really this article is “hey, do you remember Rene Rivera? He’s back now.”
The Mets decided to not upgrade their back up catcher option this off-season effectively putting Tomas Nido in open competition with Rivera. This is the same thing the Mets did last year with Nido, d’Arnaud and Mesoraco and they really messed that one up.
Anyway, Rivera signed with the Mets in 2008 and was granted free agency the following year. He then bounced around for several tams, was part of a three-way trade with the Padres/Rays/Nationals (that involved mega-prospect at the time Wil Myers and how the Nationals got Trea Turner).
His real Mets story began in 2016. At the end of Spring Training that year he was released by the Rays and then signed a week later with the Mets where he remained for a year and a half before being claimed by the Cubs. He then signed again with the Mets at the end of last March when the Mets really messed things up with Mesoraco.
His best year with the Mets was 2017 where in 187 PAs he hit .230/.278/.391. Last year he saw only 20 PAs with the Mets and hit .235/.350/.412, which is what we expect. In Syracuse last year he hit .254/.319/.501 over 396 PAs. We’ll do a 2020 Projections article on him later.
Honestly, I think the back up catching job right now is Nido’s to lose. But if Rivera shows more of his 2017 self, and less of his 2018 self, he could squeeze himself back in. Barring a major event also that provide regular playing time for Ali Sanchez, Rivera is third on the depth chart for catcher and we’ll see him in Queens at some point this season. There really is nothing new or surprising with him this year, we already know what he is about.
