Apr 01 2019 12:42 PM
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Mesoraco can bitch. He can bitch but he is rich. I'm poor and I want more.
I'm Tomás Nido, and I'm the backup catcher on the Mets. And yeah, Devin Mesoraco can bitch. So can Travis d'Arnaud for all I care. There were a half dozen catchers in camp. Maybe more. We all went through the same workouts, and had the same chance to showcase our mad skills. At the end of the day, it was Ramos and myself that were left standing. These guys should know it's a competitive atmosphere out there, and success is measured in wins and losses. I didn't hear Mesoraco bitch when the Reds paid him $27 million over the last four years when he hasn't done dick.
I haven't done dick either. The difference is I haven't been paid dick. But I've some dick in the minors. I've done a LOT of dick. Sure, I haven't done as much dick as might like since my 2016 breakthrough with St. Lucie. But this spring? Dick, dick, dick. I did a lot of it and it was glorious.
And that's how a guy makes a team as backup catcher. Embrace the grind and outplay the others. I'm not going to apologize. Not to nobody.
But now we up in the big leagues, gettin' our turn at bat. And no amount of minor league merit mongering or springtime skill saavy is going to allow me to keep this job if I don't prospers. d'Arnaud is only going to be eligible to rehab for so many weeks, and if I have shown my quality by then, the Mets are going to show me upstate New York.
So, talk among yourselves. Where is this all going to lead? Because backup catching is totally a thing. And right now, I'm doing it.