Where Do You Want Me, Coach?

By Stefi Kaplan
Posted Monday, November 19, 2007

All this talk about the Mets 2008 catcher(s) has me thinking.

Once upon a time, the Mets had a catcher in their system with solid defensive skills, game calling and a decent throwing arm. When he was drafted in 2004, he was touted as one of the best defensive catchers in the game. The trouble was, he simply could not hit. And worse than that, he was unlucky.

Joe Hietpas was drafted by the Mets in 2004. After spending most of the season in the minors, Joe finally had his fifteen minutes – he was called up to the majors in September with roster callups. Unfortunately, he suffered a muscle strain his first day with the team and was pretty much done for the season. Mr. Hietpas played only one half inning for the Mets. One half inning! He never came to bat.

I must say, it was a pretty memorable half inning, as it was not only the last inning of the final game of the season, but also the final game their opponent, the Expos, would ever play. And apparently, it was the last inning Hietpas would catch in the majors.

Joe continued to play in the minors in 2005 and 2006 and was invited to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee but never made the team. The reality was that the Mets had little use for his bat (or lack thereof), despite his superior defensive skills.

Not to depress anyone around here, but just two short years ago, the Mets actually had a strong group of catching prospects. Of course, the loss of Jesus Flores really hurts that list, as he was clearly the one with the highest ceiling. And the transition of Mike Jacobs and Andy Wilson to first base clearly weakened the list. And Drew Butera was traded to the Twins for Luis Castillo earlier this year. That about wraps up the catching prospects from only two short years ago.

With how weak the Mets catching list has become, it makes me wonder if Joe would have had a chance to be one of the backups should the Mets decide to go with a tag-team of catchers this year rather than overpaying for mediocrity. I mean, he is no worse than DiFelice or Alomar, both of whom are free agents. As one of my fellow professors brilliantly wrote a few short months ago, the loss of Butera just illuminated how thin the Mets actually are when it comes to the catching position.

The difference between the catcher outlook two years ago and the outlook today is vast. Some players didn’t pan out as expected and some were traded or unprotected. And the Mets seem to have a knack for turning catchers into...non-catchers, whether it be first base or pitcher. But looking at all this, Joe Hietpas has to be thinking, “Man, if I could only hit .240!”

Don’t get me wrong, I think it is great that Joe Hietpas made the difficult transition from catcher to pitcher this past year. It shows tremendous determination, ambition and humility and it is a lot different from switching from SS to 3B. Further, Joe was pretty successful in his first year as a knuckleball reliever. It will be interesting to see whether Joe moves up from St. Lucie this year and whether he continues to be successful at a higher level.

But, looking at the system as a whole, it seems Joe really should have had a better chance at making the big leagues as a catcher. It is almost certain that Ramon will spend a decent amount of time on the DL and if by chance Yorvit is not healthy the entire year, we may need some insurance. It's not quite clear as of yet where that insurance is coming from. Was it ill-advised for Joe Hietpas to switch positions? Perhaps, but probably not. In reality, you probably can have too many defensive catchers with no bat on one team.

Regardless, I wish him well as a reliever or whatever he chooses (or his team chooses for him) and I do hope he re-signs with the Mets, as he is a free agent this year.